The shortage of medical staff, especially doctors, has claimed the lives of as many as 72,000 infants in government hospitals over the last nine years in Madhya Pradesh, according to a National Herald report.
As per the National Health Mission data submitted to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, as many as 72,000 infants died in Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) of government hospitals across the state between 2009 and 2017.
As of March 2017, the state had only 4,367 doctors against the sanctioned strength of 8,156 government doctors i.e. 47 of the posts are vacant. These include posts in district and sub-district hospitals and primary and community health centres.
Moreover, as many as 277 senior doctors of the state government are working in an administrative capacity in different departments even when the state is grappling with a huge shortage of doctors, the report added.
Of the total 3,273 sanctioned post of specialist doctors (surgeons, paediatricians, obstetricians), only 1,126 are filled.
The state of health care in Madhya Pradesh needs urgent attention from the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. The problem of vacant posts is leading to the unfolding of a tragedy in the form of neonatal deaths.