Ludhiana civil hospital: Radiology wing overburdened, 10-day waiting for OPD patients
Against the four sanctioned government posts of radiologists in Ludhiana, there are only two radiologists in the district, catering to a population of over 40 lakhs
Unable to keep up with the increasing population of Ludhiana, radiology wing of Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital is reeling under excessive burden, majorly due to an acute shortage of staff in the district.
Against the four sanctioned government posts of radiologists in Ludhiana, there are only two radiologists in the district, catering to a population of over 40 lakhs. While one of them is posted at the civil hospital, the other is at Samrala civil hospital.
Dr Sandeep Sohi, radiologist at Ludhiana civil hospital, said that cases from rural areas, including Sahnewal, Raikot, Sidhwan Bet, Maloud, Payal, Dehlon, Hatur, Jagraon and Khanna are referred to the district hospital, along with cases from the city. He added that the workload is not proportionate with the current staff.
The heavy footfall every day has pushed the waiting period of the out-patient department (OPD) requiring an ultrasound to about 10 days.
Rama Kumari, a 32-year-old factory worker, said, “Due to severe pain in my abdomen since night, I came here around 10 in the morning. First, I got myself checked by gynecologist, which took me about two hours. They have asked me to get an ultrasound for a detailed diagnosis of my ailment. But here they say that my turn will be in 10 days. How can one possibly bear the pain for such a long period.”
Dr Sohi handles ultrasounds, CT and MRI scans, medico-legal cases, ossification x-rays –age determining tests– and attends court hearings. Sharing his plight, he said “Despite working round the clock, patients argue over pendency. Within my six-hour shift, I conduct around 30-35 ultrasounds, five to six CT scans and multiple MRIs. Additionally, there are 25 to 30 monthly ossification x-rays that take around 20 minutes per patient. I also have to attend over 20 court summons in a month. We also need to maintain a record of the medico-legal reports manually.”
As per sources, the radiologist at Samrala takes care of ultrasound and medico-legal cases only. The facility for CT scans and MRIs is not available at the facility there and thus, patients are referred to Ludhiana civil hospital.
“The hospital needs two radiologists and a demand has been raised. However, due to a lack of radiologists joining the government sector, any appointment has not been made so far” Dr Sohi said. He added that the hospital has deputed a doctor from Payal, who visits the hospital thrice a week and supervises ultrasounds.
Radiographers, responsible for conducting X-rays, are two short of the sanctioned strength of five. After the death of a radiographer in October 2022 and retirement of another in April of the same year, three radiographers conduct over 150 X-rays per day at the civil hospital.
“We have to deal with more than 150 patients daily, besides attending to emergency calls from various departments. Due to this, we can only spend about two or three minutes on a patient. Unlike radiologists, there is no shortage of radiographers and they should be hired,” said a staff member, requesting anonymity.
As all prisoners have to undergo a medical test before they are lodged in jail, the district hospital sees a large number of prisoners. Many of them also need these tests.
“Majority of convicts are drug addicts, so it becomes necessary to take all precautions before we lodge them in jail. Tuberculosis, HIV AIDS and Covid tests are mandatory. If the prisoner has any ailments, tests are conducted on the recommendation of a doctor. Sometimes, even after spending an entire day here, we don’t finish work. If tests are conducted today, we have to collect reports on the next day,” said a Punjab police official accompanying a prisoner to the hospital.
Patients allege that staff do not follow the token system in place and prioritise prisoners over them.
In reply, radiology department said, “We segregate men and women as in many cases, they are required to undress. Hence, we line gender patients in sets of five based on gender. This is why the token system is compromised sometimes. As far as prisoners are concerned, we cannot make them wait due to security concerns.”
On Wednesdays and Saturdays, an X-ray camp for disabled patients is organised. Sono mammographs, ultra-sonographs for hernia and thyroid ultrasounds are also conducted on Saturdays. All of this adds to the workload.
Talking about the scenario, civil surgeon Dr Hitinder Kaur said, “We have informed the higher authorities about the staff crunch and government is recruiting doctors for the same. Hopefully, the department will get more staff soon.”
