SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 9: In a sudden, late-night inspection, the first of its kind in the coal belt, all five doctors were found missing from their night duty at five Community Health Centres (CHC) Topchachi, Govindpur, Nirsa , Baliapur and Jharia Chasnala of the district.
Civil surgeon (CS) Dr Alok Viswakarma after getting frequent complaints about the absence of doctors at remote CHC of the district on Saturday late night made a sudden inspection and found that not a single doctor was on duty at all. Only ANM and Sahiya were attending to the patients.
CS first visited the 40 km away Topchachi CHC at 11:30 PM. Dr Alok Shyamnandan had night duty but he was absent. Since three critical delivery cases were admitted, CS called the doctor from Baghmara CHC. Baghmara CHC medical officer in charge Dr Manish Kumar sent the doctor to Topchachi CHC and himself performed his night duty at the hospital.
The civil surgeon reached the Govindpur CHC (around 40 km away) from Topchachi at around 12.45 am. The doctor on night duty Dr Apurva Dutta was also absent. A delivery patient was in the labour room. He was informed that no doctor was in the hospital since 7.30 PM. Clinical note of patients was also not written. However, on getting the information, the doctor on duty, Dr Dutta reached the hospital and reportedly pleaded that he had gone for tea in the market.
The situation was the same at Nirsa CHC when CS Dr Viswakarma reached there at 1:20 am. Only ANM was in the hospital.
At Balaipur CHC doctor on duty was absent and a single community health officer (CHO) was present when Dr Viswakarma reached for inspection at 3 am. At CHC Jharia Chasnala’s doctor was present but was found sleeping in a room. CS directed him to perform his duty seriously and honestly.
The civil surgeon also inspected Asian Jalan Hospital in the city at a wee hour and was surprised to find that a government homoeopathic doctor deployed in the district health department was attending night duty in an emergency. He sought an explanation from hospital management for taking a homoeopathic doctor’s duty in an emergency.
“I have been aghast to find that doctors at night duty at all five remote CHCs were found absent. There is a need of streamlining the services and this could be possible by the cooperation of all medical officers and health staff”, he said.
Dr Viswakarma said a report would be sent to the deputy commissioner (DC) and regional deputy director (RDD) of Health North Chhotanagpur.
