Bengal to recruit thousands for specialist hospitals

 13-Nov-15

As the countdown for the assembly elections scheduled in April-May in 2016 in Bengal begins, the Mamata Banerjee government is all set to showcase its much-publicised 40 superspecialist hospitals that are coming up in the districts, West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri, South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas, during poll campaigns.

Image: Yahoo India

The health department has decided to recruit 4,000 doctors, 5,000 nurses and 1,000 technicians by the end of February for these super specialist hospitals. The chief minister often said in public meetings that her government is setting up 40 superspecialist hospitals (she also call these multi-super) across the state.

"The state healthcare system will collapse following the government's policy. How will the government provide so many doctors and nursing staff to the super specialist hospitals at a time when the existing 27 district hospitals, 37 sub-divisional hospitals, 110 rural hospitals, 350 block primary health centres and around 900 primary health centres across the state are running out of adequate number of doctors and other staff?" said Dr Satyajit Chakraborty, secretary of CPI(M)-backed Association of Health Service Doctors (AHSD).

These super specialist hospitals will accommodate 500 beds each. But as these buildings are getting completed, the health department is asking the district administration to shift the existing departments to the new buildings without setting up of the speciality departments as well lifesaving arrangements like oxygen pipelines. The reason: Acute shortage of doctors and nurses required for these hospitals. 

 Insights