Sassoon Hospital dean's year-long push to solve staff crunch, improve campus cleanliness
Dr Eknath Pawar, Dean of B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, who completes a year in the post on June 19, said that despite the vacancies, a slew of measures are in place to ensure patient care and deliver quality services at Maharashtra's largest government-run hospital.
According to a Right to Information (RTI) application by The Indian Express, the hospital in Pune has been reeling under a severe manpower shortage, with half of the 843 sanctioned Class IV posts lying vacant in addition to the shortage of non-technical staff and medical professionals. There are 118 vacant posts for doctors, while the B J Government Medical College, attached to the Sassoon General Hospital, has 18 posts of Associate Professors and 27 Assistant Professor posts lying vacant.
'The staff shortage is being addressed. During my tenure of a year, several efforts have been taken, and we have filled up a fair share of vacancies. As part of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruitment process, interviews are being scheduled, and we have urged them to fast-track the process,' Dr Pawar told The Indian Express on Tuesday.
The RTI data shows that 918 of the 1,108 permanent posts of nurses have been filled. However, 416 posts of Class IV employees remain vacant.
'At the local level, through the District Collector's office, some technical staff can be hired, and even cleanliness services are being outsourced,' Dr Pawar said, adding that an advertisement will be issued to fill Class IV posts soon.
Dr Pawar agreed that some gaps are likely to occur owing to the huge size of the institution. However, he said, the team actively conducts surprise inspections and takes random photographs to ensure cleanliness.
'While it is a time-consuming process, since I joined, I have held several meetings and, together with the team, carried out routine inspections across all areas of the hospital. We have also trained our staff to respond promptly and effectively to complaints,' Dr Pawar said.
During his period, several boards were displayed to direct the patients to the respective departments and OPDs for specialised and routine treatment. Benches have been provided so that patients can be comfortable at the OPD, he added. Security agencies have also been instructed to inform the staff to address patients politely, he mentioned.
The hospital authorities have initiated efforts to ensure an adequate stock of medicines.
'The District Planning Development Committee (DPDC) has approved Rs 6 crore towards ensuring an adequate availability of medicines. No patient will be told to purchase medicines from outside,' Dr Pawar said. Patients of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) who required expensive medicines were treated free of cost, he added.
Focus on transparency
As part of a scheme, children of deceased employees (Class IV) can be recruited at the hospital. A committee that looks into such matters has noted that there are karyakartas who recommend appointments for the children who fall into the category.
'However, in some cases, these karyakartas mislead the candidates by falsely claiming that the process would take time, using this as an opportunity to demand money. We have put a stop to this practice and have already issued over 30 appointment orders for the sons of deceased employees,' Dr Pawar said.
'At times, I used to receive numerous calls from karyakartas wanting to discuss various issues. I began asking whether the matter was urgent or if it could be addressed at a more appropriate time. As a result, the late-night calls — sometimes continuing until 1 am — have now stopped. I have made it clear that non-essential calls will not be entertained after 9 pm,' he said.
Beautification measures, heritage building restoration
The campus beautification work has been taken up on a large scale with parts of the main building being painted in a striking white and gold colour scheme. As per a notification, a board also displays the official change in the name from B J Medical College to B J Government Medical College.
According to Dr Pawar, 50 per cent of the renovation work at the OPD has been completed. The David Sassoon and Jacob Sassoon buildings on the campus are being restored to bring back their original glory, and according to Dr Pawar, the first phase of restoration has been completed.
'We are now planning a fully air-conditioned Central Library on the ground floor, Medical Research Unit, and Medical Education Unit, mainly for the training of faculty and resident doctors,' Dr Pawar said.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
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