Guwahati, Sep 10 (IANS): The Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh is grappling with a severe shortage of doctors, nurses and support staff, putting additional pressure on one of the region’s key tertiary healthcare institutions.
According to a senior official, 121 of the 434 sanctioned posts for doctors at AMCH are currently vacant.
With only 313 doctors in position, nearly 28 per cent of the sanctioned medical posts remain unfilled.
The shortage has been reported across 23 departments, while the hospital is also facing a deficit of junior doctors, further increasing the workload on the existing medical teams.
The manpower shortage has reportedly intensified after doctors and other employees were transferred to newly established medical colleges in districts such as Tinsukia and Lakhimpur.
The posts vacated following these transfers are yet to be filled, adding to the staffing constraints at AMCH.
The nursing workforce is under particular strain. The hospital currently has around 449 nurses for nearly 2,000 beds.
When AMCH was upgraded from a medical school to a medical college in 1947, it had approximately 900 beds and the same number of nurses. While the hospital’s bed capacity has more than doubled since then, the nursing strength has remained virtually unchanged.
The shortage has reportedly resulted in nurses handling extremely high patient loads, with one nurse attending to between 150 and 200 patients during some night shifts.
Such a workload has raised concerns over the time available for individual patient care, monitoring and other essential nursing duties.
AMCH is also facing vacancies in other categories, including Grade IV personnel. The combined shortage of medical, nursing and support staff is placing additional pressure on the existing workforce amid a consistently high daily patient footfall.
The hospital serves as a major referral centre for Upper Assam and receives patients from several districts as well as neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Meanwhile, diagnostic services are also facing challenges, with MRI and CT scan machines reportedly experiencing frequent breakdowns.
When the equipment remains unavailable, economically weaker patients may have to turn to private diagnostic centres, where scans can cost thousands of rupees.
The staffing and equipment gaps have emerged even as Assam expands its network of medical colleges and healthcare infrastructure.
For patients dependent on AMCH for affordable tertiary care, however, shortages in manpower and diagnostic facilities remain a significant concern.
