COVID knocking again, Haryana CM's home district short of doctors

Karnal: Amid speculations of a surge in the cases of COVID-19, this city faces a 43 per cent shortage of doctors in the state-run health facilities, including the district hospital, community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centres (PHCs).

The district health department has only 152 doctors against 269 sanctioned posts. The 117 vacancies are divided across the one district-level civil hospital, three subdivisional hospitals (Assandh, Nilokheri, and Indri), eight CHCs, 24 PHCs, and a polyclinic. Assandh's hospital has just 19 doctors against a sanctioned strength of 42, while Nilokheri needs 21 medical officers. In the district hospital, 8 of the 55 posts are vacant, while Indri's subdivisional civil hospital needs five doctors.

Among the CHCs, six doctors each are required at Padha and Ballah, five each at Nissing and Sambhali, three at Gharaunda, and two each at Taraori and Nigdu. The situation is almost similar at the PHCs. Four posts of senior medical officer (SMO) are vacant at Nissing, Assandh, and Nilokheri.