SHILLONG: An RTI revealed a serious shortage of manpower in NEIGRIHMS with more than 207 posts in different position both in the teaching and non-teaching departments have been lying vacant. Some of the vacancies have been there since the year 2005.
An advocate from Umkiang village of East Jaintia HiIls, Kynjaimon Amse filed an RTI which has revealed in the teaching department, there are 16 vacant posts of Professor in the departments of Bio-Chemistry, Dentistry, Dermatology, Hospital administration, Medical Oncology, Nephrology, Neoro-Surgery, Neurology, Orthopaedics & Trauma, Paediatrics, Physiology, Psychiatry, Radiotherapy, Surgical oncology, TB & Resp. Disease and Urology.
Again, the RTI has showed there are a total number of 10 vacancies of Associate Professor in the department of Blood Bank, General Medicine, General Surgery, Hospital administration, Medical Oncology, Nephrology, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Surgical Oncology while 17 vacancies are there in the position of Assistant Professor in different departments of the hospital.
In the non-teaching department, there are 21 vacancies in the Group-A category which include Medical officer-cum lecturer, epidemiologist cum lecturer, statistician-cum-lecturer, system analyst, chief dietician & nutrition officer, chief physiotherapist, deputy registrar, programmer, deputy financial adviser, Professor- cum- Principal (Nursing college), Professor-cum-Vice-Principal (Nursing college), registrar, deputy medical superintendent, dental officer, senior statistical officer, junior medical officer, statistical officer and medical physicist.
Further, there are 34 vacancies in Group B category which includes assistant accounts officer, staff nurse, radiation supervisor, estate manager, office superintendent, CSSD supervisor, junior accounts officer, warden, health inspector, health educator, junior perfusionist and radiographer.
In the Group C category, there are 108 vacancies in different position and department in the hospital.
Speaking on the matter, Amse said many patients had to return home due to non-availability of doctors and were asked to come some other day.
“Also even for surgery purposes, there is a long queue and a patient has to wait for many weeks before his/her turn comes for surgery as there are limited numbers of surgeons,” he added.
According to Amse, the hospital has resorted to appointment of ad hoc /contractual employee instead of filling the vacant post.
“The RTI reply shows that 11 assistant professors ne one professor are presently being engaged by NEIGRIHMS. Besides these, NEIGRIHMS has also outsourced many of its service to private entities. The total number of contractual employee is 51 in different departments,” he said.
Amse has called upon the NEIGRIHMS administration to immediately take action on this matter for the good and welfare of the patients, students and the people of the NE region.