PESHAWAR: Despite lucrative incentives and salary packages to doctors Khyber Pakhtonkhawa, the province is facing acute shortage of anaesthetists as subject doctors are showing reluctance to apply for the post.
According to Health Department KP, there are 35 sanctioned posts and 30 are lying vacant. The shortage of anaesthetists is seen in all the hospitals of the province including Lady Reading Hospital where there are 54 operation theaters and only four senior anaesthetists with ten other supporting doctors are looking after the entire hospital, informed by Muktiar Zaman Medical Director LRH.
He said the hospital is going to hire 14 senior anaesthetists with three times’ higher salary comparing to other doctors. However Health Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also shown grave concern on the issue of acute shortage of anaesthetists in public sector hospitals of the province and decided to take both long and short term measures to address the issue on war footings.
In this regard, a meeting was also held with Secretary Health Abid Majeed in the chair. The meeting discussed threadbare matters related to resolve the issue on immediate basis and in the long run to make the specialty more attractive in terms of financial and other incentives to attract more and more doctors towards the field.
It was pointed out in the meeting that tough course of the specialty and less attractiveness of the field were the basic reasons of the shortage. The meeting decided to start special crash courses for the student doctors of FCPS (anaesthesia) and Diploma in Anesthesia to facilitate them ensure their success in examinations.
