Mumbai: Amid a shortage of doctors and
specialists across several healthcare facilities, the Maharashtra government has announced plans to recruit 5,000
doctors and healthcare personnel. The announcement was made by Health Minister
Prakash Abitkar on Wednesday.Also Read:Maharashtra: Over 200 health centres remain non-functional amid fund crunchThe health department has
been facing a persistent shortage of medical professionals, affecting the
functioning of many facilities. To improve healthcare services in rural areas,
450 medical officers have already been appointed, while the process to recruit
another 1,500 medical officers is currently underway, reports Hindustan Times.
According to The Daily,
the minister said the initiative is aimed at making both newly constructed and
currently non-functional healthcare centres operational. Speaking to reporters
during the ‘My Village, Healthy Village’ campaign in Pune, Abitkar noted that
several health institutions, including First Referral Units (FRUs), are not
functioning because of a lack of doctors, while some recently built facilities
have yet to begin operations for the same reason.
“The proposal for
appointing 5,000 doctors and staff is currently with the High-Power Committee.
Approval is expected within a couple of months, after which the manpower will
be deployed at these facilities. All non-functional and new healthcare centres will
be made operational before the monsoon,” Abitkar said. Speaking at the event,
Abitkar said the campaign advocates for prevention over treatment to improve healthcare habits. Having faith in the positive outcome of the initiative
and collective effort, he affirmed that the initiative has received a positive
response throughout the district.
The campaign utilises community
participation and preventive measures to improve rural healthcare this
week. Senior officials, including principal secretary (health) Dr Nipun
Vinayak, secretary E Ravindran, urban commissioner Dr Sunil Bhokare, Pune Zilla
Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil, and director of health services Dr Nitin Ambadekar,
among others, attended the program.Also Read:BJ medical college Pune nursing, paramedical students protest over hostel rules, alleged harassment