High-end diagnostics in teaching hospitals hit by shortage of senior radiologists in Telangana
Unplanned and hasty transfers taken up by the health department, at the behest of the State government have resulted in a situation where Senior Professors and Associate Professors with decades of experience in Radiology have been posted to Area Hospitals in districts lacking high-end medical infrastructure including Cath labs.
Hyderabad: High-end diagnostic services at government tertiary hospitals in Hyderabad including Niloufer Hospital, MNJ Cancer Hospital, Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital and in districts including Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal have suffered a significant setback due to severe shortage of senior radiologists.
Unplanned and hasty transfers taken up by the health department, at the behest of the State government have resulted in a situation where Senior Professors and Associate Professors with decades of experience in Radiology have been posted to Area Hospitals in districts lacking high-end medical infrastructure including Cath labs.
On the other hand, Assistant Professors and PG doctors with limited experience have been posted in high pressure tertiary government teaching hospitals in Hyderabad and other urban centres like Warangal, which are equipped with Cath labs and CT scans.
A similar situation prevails at MNJ Cancer Hospital, Niloufer Hospital, Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, and Kakatiya Medical College. Frustrated by the one-sided approach to transfers, recently three senior radiologists from Niloufer Hospital resigned from their posts and joined private healthcare facilities, according to doctors familiar with the issue.
The heavy patient influx and lack of manpower in the radiology wings of these hospitals have led to backlogs, postponement and significant delays in CT, MRI scans and the Cath lab work, which are crucial for emergency surgeries like angioplasty etc.
Numerous instances have occurred at Niloufer Hospital and MNJ Cancer Hospital where junior radiologists, faced with complex diagnostic cases, have privately consulted their senior colleagues, who are now posted in districts, for guidance. Due to the shortage of radiologists, patients at Gandhi Hospital and OGH often face waiting periods of a week or more for CT and MRI scans.
The health department’s attempts to recruit senior radiologists on a contract basis have not met with enthusiasm. Senior doctors with firsthand knowledge acknowledged that, in the present scenario, recruiting radiologists in government sector is challenging due to higher pay scales offered by private hospitals.
“As a senior radiologist with over a decade of experience, I earn around Rs 95,000 per month in a government hospital. I can earn the same amount in two or three days in the private sector. Only radiologists with strong sense of social responsibility, and service motive are willing to work in government hospitals,” a senior radiologist said.
As a result of the shortage of the radiologists, there have been instances at Gandhi Hospital and OGH where patients have to wait for at least one week, sometimes even more, to get an appointment for CT and MRI scans.
Radiology is already a high-demand profession. The State health department’s decision to transfer experienced radiologists, who were instrumental in establishing Cath labs and standard operating procedures (SOPs), to districts is perplexing, doctors noted.
