Posted By :  Admin1

Concerns have been raised among Mumbai's civic hospital authorities due to notices summoning over 1,000 medical staff for Lok Sabha election duties. With severe shortages already affecting hospitals, including approximately 544 doctors and 820 nurses being directed to fulfill election duties, authorities fear compromised patient care. The four major civic hospitals, serving around 10,000 patients daily, are particularly affected. To address this, hospital deans are seeking exemptions for their staff, with the medical education department already communicating this to the collector's office. Hospital authorities emphasize the risk of further hindering operations and compromising patient care quality if additional duties are imposed on already understaffed facilities. "We won't deploy our medical staff for election duties," stated a senior public health department official, affirming ongoing efforts to secure exemptions and revoke existing orders.

JJ Hospital, already grappling with a 40 percent staff shortage, faces additional strain as the Thane district collector has requested the government to rescind election duties for 48 personnel, including doctors and technicians. "We have urged for the revocation," stated a hospital official, with Commissioner of Medical Education, Rajeev Nivatkar, providing assistance. Dr. Sudhakar Shinde, BMC Additional Commissioner, echoed concerns, emphasizing that staff assigned election duties aren't obliged to attend. Discussions are underway to exempt health workers from these duties, recognizing their critical role in emergency services, as stated by a senior official from the medical education department.