PGI to keep 'symbolic' evening OPD date

SOURAV SANYAL
CHANDIGARH: Caught unawares by Union health minister Shatrughan Sinha''s announcement of starting Evening OPDs from December 1, PGI is now struggling hard to come to terms with the D-day, which is barely three weeks away.
Even as the PGI administration remains tight-lipped about the modalities of the proposal, senior professors say the Evening OPD will be a ''symbolic'' one.At least from the time being.
Citing the acute shortage of faculty and paramedical staff, senior professors say that PGI, in a bid to honour the announcement made by the minister, is thinking of starting a General OPD rather than the one which runs in the morning where senior doctors from all specialities are available for consultation.
The show is likely to be managed by junior doctors and residents, who in the event of complications, would refer the concerned patient to a specialist, who would be available for consultation the following morning.
It may here be recalled that PGI director Prof SK Sharma had told Times News Network on October 24 that they had held a faculty meeting following the minister''s announcement, where the issue was discussed threadbare.
He had also cited the shortage of available manpower and budgetary constraints as factors which needed to be looked into before the Evening OPD could be started. He was also scheduled to meet Sinha and convey the decisions arrived at by the faculty over starting Evening OPD at PGI.
Sources inform that senior professors attending the meeting were unanimous in their stand that the faculty posts which are lying vacant be filled up at the earliest. As per the PGI''s Annual Report (2000-01), there are 244 faculty members on PGI''s rolls as against the sanctioned strength of 338.
"The decision was unanimous. With the existing workload, it is not practically possible for the senior faculty who simultaneously are involved in research and take classes, to run the Evening OPD. Therefore, one of the first things that should be done is to fill up the vacant posts. Keeping this in mind, a proposal was mooted that for the time being, it would be a General OPD where patients coming in would be examined by residents and subsequently referred to specialists who would be available during morning hours. Though the idea of taking in doctors on contract was not discussed, the concept of introducing a double shift for technicians and diagnosticians was mooted. The Medical Superintendent was asked to work out the finer details," noted a senior professor.
Former PGI Director BNS Walia, too, seconded the concept of General OPD. "One cannot expect specialists to be there in the evening as it would lead to dilution of the quality of research. Doctors of the level of assistant surgeons should be there to attend to the patients. Whether they are on contract or recruited as permanent staff hardly matters. The queues in the investigative departments would become longer. Doctors, nurses, equipments, additional security are all needed to make Evening OPD work effectively," he said.
As per initial leads, the Evening OPD would run for about two hours from 3 pm. "For this, patient cards which are made till forenoon now, would be made again in the evening for a short while," the professor said.