Sunday, 17 NOVEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Even though the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) ward has been opened at the Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital, one of the two approved paediatrician positions in the ward remains vacant. Recently, the Health minister Dhan Singh Rawat, together with the district magistrate Savin Bansal had inaugurated the SNCU ward for infants at the Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital. The establishment of this ward was carried out at the hospital following instructions from the State administration.
Informing about this, the medical superintendent of the hospital Dr VS Chauhan informed that the ward currently consists of six beds and will receive enhancements in the future. To ensure the smooth functioning of the SNCU ward, the hospital has hired two doctors and ten nurses through the National Health Mission (NHM). Additionally, a paediatrician has been specifically hired for the ward, along with six security guards and six medical attendants to support its operations. However, one of the sanctioned positions for a paediatrician at the hospital remains vacant due to unavoidable circumstances. The process of hiring another paediatrician has been initiated by the authorities and will be filled soon. The delay in hiring the paediatrician is attributed to the lower salary offered at the government hospital compared to private hospitals, he added. Regarding the functioning of the SNCU ward, he said that four infants were admitted on the day of inauguration. Currently, three infants are under care in the ward.
It will be recalled that prior to the commencement of operations in the SNCU ward, the officials concerned had employed two paediatricians. However, upon completion of the recruitment process, they decided to resign from their positions before commencing work at the hospital due to a lower salary offered compared to what they could potentially earn at a private healthcare facility. This situation had led to challenges in securing replacements, ultimately resulting in a delay in the launch of the SNCU ward at the hospital.
