Saturday, 29 JUNE 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In light of the comparatively lower salary offered at the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital, the hospital is struggling to fill the vacant positions of radiologists. There are 12 radiologist positions in the hospital though only three of these positions are currently occupied on a contractual basis despite the need for permanent placements.
The inadequate number of radiologists in the hospital is primarily due to the salaries offered in government hospitals which are considerably lower than the salaries offered in private hospitals. Many radiologists opt to work in private hospitals instead of fulfilling their duties at government hospitals. Private hospitals are known to provide higher salaries compared to government hospitals. This shortage of radiologists is not observed only in the GDMC hospital but also in other government hospitals.
Stating this, the medical superintendent of GDMC hospital Dr Anurag Aggarwal said that earlier there were four radiologists conducting ultrasound scans in the hospital, but recently one radiologist who was responsible for general patient ultrasounds resigned from his post. This has significantly impacted the radiology department although the hospital administration has managed to address the issue temporarily by assigning an IPD radiologist to conduct general patient ultrasounds at the OPD. He emphasised that there is a shortage of radiologists at the hospital despite having enough positions available. He said that, in comparison to government hospitals, radiologists are more satisfied with the pay they receive at private hospitals, which leads them to choose private hospitals over government ones. He pointed out that at GDMC, assistant and associate professors of radiology are paid Rs 1,25,000, while professors are paid about Rs 1,42,000.
Notably, observing the salary of radiologists in government hospitals, it is evident that radiologists are paid twice as much in private hospitals. Commenting about the current situation of the radiology department, Aggarwal added that the resignation of a radiologist at the OPD building has, to some extent, disrupted the department’s operations. However, they have temporarily relocated a radiologist from the IPD to the OPD building. Additionally, the hospital administration has instructed a new ultrasound agency to promptly install an ultrasound machine at the OPD building alongside a radiologist. It is anticipated that within one week, the new ultrasound machine and radiologist will be operational at the hospital, thereby resolving the situation, he said.
