In less than two months, six doctors, including a Senior Medical Officer (SMO), have resigned from government hospitals in Bathinda, Punjab. The doctors, who cited family reasons for their resignations, are currently on a three-month notice period.
Dr. Satish Jindal, the SMO at the women and children hospital in Bathinda, is among those who have resigned. Dr. Tejwant Singh Dhillon, the Civil Surgeon of Bathinda, confirmed the resignations and stated that the doctors have mentioned family reasons in their resignation letters.
Despite these resignations, Dr. Dhillon assured that there is no shortage of doctors in the district. He explained that three doctors who had been on leave to complete their postgraduate degrees have now returned and joined different hospitals in Bathinda. Specifically, a gynecologist has joined the civil hospital in Rampura Phull, another gynecologist has joined Rama Mandi, and an eye specialist has arrived in Talwandi Sabo.
However, sources revealed that, besides family reasons, some doctors feel overburdened by the government system, leading to their resignations. The allure of private practice is also a factor. Interestingly, most of the resigning doctors have less than 20 years of work experience, which is notable since voluntary retirement typically requires a minimum of 20 years of service. A similar situation occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when around ten doctors resigned in Bath.
Four-time Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal expressed concern over the resignations, stating that the mass resignation of medical officers could cripple health services in the district. She urged the AAP government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to ensure the posting of an adequate number of medical officers in Bathinda. Harsimrat also criticized the government's handling of the situation, highlighting that health officers are resigning due to perceived discrimination and indifferent attitudes from the administration.
Harsimrat emphasized that the health and education sectors have suffered under the current government, which had initially come to power with promises to improve these areas. She urged the Chief Minister and Health Minister to take immediate action to address the resignations and prevent further disruption to health services in Bath.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Susmita Bhandary/MSM)