Staff shortage: Surgical ward at Mayo Hospital working without head, faculty
Professor Sadaqat Ali Khan, who had headed the ward, retired from service on Wednesday, leaving behind a ward without a professor or associate professor.
“The sanctioned strength includes a professor, an associate professor, two assistant professors and four senior registrars (SRs). Following the retirement of Khan, posts of professor, associate professor and four SRs are vacant,” a doctor at the department told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media.
“Khan had led an interim set up. A consultant surgeon, Dr Rana Sohail had additional charge as senior registrar. He ran the emergency and kept the things moving. After his retirement, the arrangement will end,” the doctor said.
Mayo Hospital’s emergency ward is one of the busiest in the province. The four surgical wards at the hospital run the surgical emergency on rotation.
“Every day, 350 patients come to the WSW and some 35 patients are operated upon. Some trauma patients are also brought to the emergency,” Dr Sohail said.
Dr Sohail said Khan had managed to run the department very well given the shortage of staff. “Post-graduate trainees under him went an extra-mile and gave their best to keep the department running,” he said.
“Conditions at other departments are not very good either. There are 16 posts of SRs in four surgical wards of Mayo Hospital. Nine of them are vacant. The WSW, however, is the only one that does not have a single full-time SR,” an additional medical superintendent (AMS) at the hospital said.
“The West Surgical Ward is a tertiary unit where students take part in post-graduation training. There are 12 trainees currently at the WSW. If there is nobody to train them, how will they learn anything?” another doctor asked.
Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Amjad Shehzad said Professor Khan was an excellent doctor and a great teacher. “We have requested the Health Department for a professor. Dr Asgher Naqi of the Lahore General Hospital (LGH) may be appointed as professor here soon,” he said.
About other vacant seats, he said that there was a shortage of faculty at almost all teaching hospitals. “We have asked the Punjab Public Service Commission to fill these posts,” he said.
King Edward Medical University (KEMU) Surgery Department Chairman Professor Arshad Cheema said he had given the interim charge of WSW to Dr Ashfaq of North Surgical Ward, who was currently serving as associate professor.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2014.
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