Sindh's largest hospital facing acute shortage of staff

Several departments have been forced to close due to the absence of doctors to run them

KARACHI: The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) has been facing an acute shortage of employees, including doctors, nurses and other staff, as no new hiring has been done in past seven years, according to sources at the largest tertiary-care hospital in the province.

Of the 2,600 sanctioned posts in the hospital, including those of professors, assistant professors, resident medical officers, doctor, paramedics, nurses, administrative staff and other categories, as many as 1,200 have been lying vacant for the last seven years. The shortage of staff has badly affected the functioning of the healthcare facility.

A number of professors, assistant professors, doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other officials have retired or quit their jobs in these past seven years, but the government has yet to fill these posts.

Currently, around 70 doctors are working in the tertiary-care hospital, while 130 posts of doctors are lying vacant. Another 180 posts of nurses are lying vacant, while over 100 posts of technicians and paramedical have also yet to be filled.

Similarly, around 700 posts of non-technical and support staff from grade-1 to grade-15 are lying vacant, including in departments of hospitality services, kitchen, transport, general store, sanitation, laundry, workshop, electrical, mechanical, wooden workshops, security, administration, accounts, ancillary staff and the telephone exchange.

The JPMC boasts 26 departments, out which 21 are currently headed by assistant professors as only five professors are currently performing their duties at the hospital.

On the other hand, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff have been deprived due promotions and other allowances.

Some departments of the JPMC have been closed, including Ward 27 (ENT Unit-II), while a few others are on the verge of closure due to the shortage of doctors and other difficulties. Yet other departments are being run by junior doctors.

JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali was not available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2019.