The District Government Hospital located in Pandri, a key public healthcare institution in Raipur, is facing mounting criticism due to a severe shortage of specialist doctors and inadequate facilities across various departments. This deficiency is reportedly forcing hospital authorities to frequently refer critical patients to Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, DK Super-specialty Hospital, and even All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur, leading many health activists and citizens to dub it the ‘Refer Hospital’ of the capital.

 

Despite witnessing a daily footfall of over 700 patients, the hospital is allegedly struggling to provide adequate care for those with critical conditions and ailments. Sources within the hospital indicate that the existing facilities in many departments are in poor condition, leaving authorities with little choice, but to transfer patients to better-equipped centers. In recent years, the hospital has seen some infrastructural improvements and the establishment of new departments, including a mental health section, a special pediatric ward, and separate registration counters for different patient demographics, thanks to support from the National Health Mission and the state Department of Health and Family Welfare.

 

However, the hospital continues to lag significantly in terms of manpower, particularly specialist doctors. Shockingly, in departments such as orthopedics and pediatrics, postgraduate interns from Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College Raipur and other private institutions are reportedly the primary caregivers. This reliance on interns underscores the critical shortage of experienced specialists, with some departments having only one or two specialists to cater to the large number of daily patients. “In the last few years, the hospital has improved its infrastructure and set up many medical equipment, but there is still a shortage of specialist doctors in these departments,” a medical officer revealed on condition of anonymity.

 

Adding to the concern, medical interns have reported being overburdened, often managing patients across two or three departments and frequently working shifts exceeding 12 hours. This situation raises serious questions about the quality of care and the well-being of the junior medical staff. When contacted, Dr S K Bhandri, Civil Surgeon denied all allegations of inadequate healthcare facilities however, he declined to comment on the reported shortage of doctors.