Agra hospitals face shortage of specialist doctors, 235 posts vacant for decade

Private and government hospitals in the Agra district have been staring at a shortage of specialist doctors in several departments, ranging from radiology to gynaecology. Despite an increase in the population by seven lakhs in the past five years, the number of doctors has not increased in the district altogether.

This Uttar Pradesh district has also been facing a decline in private hospitals, which have mushroomed due to a dearth of specialist doctors. Thus, paving the way for charging patients higher-than-usual prices for treatments.

Despite an increasing population in the past decades and more doctors retiring, the district has no new specialists to replace retirees across departments. The population of the district has increased from 45 lakhs in 2011 to 52 lakhs in 2021.

A senior doctor at Agra's Sarojini Naidu Hospital told India Today that the hospital currently requires 105 more doctors.

As per data accessed by India Today, there are 18 Community Health Centers (CHCs), 45 Primary Health Centers (PHCs), and 30 Urban Health Centers (UHCs) in the Agra district.
For these departments, there are 235 doctors' posts, which have remained constant for the last 10 years.

Also, due to a shortage of medical specialists at government hospitals, activists say that the rural population has fallen prey to the loot of private hospitals.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Arun Srivastava said that facilities for examination and treatment have been increased at the health centres. But the shortage of doctors is expected to remain for some more time.

"The process of appointment of doctors by the government has not started yet. Hopefully, this shortfall will be removed soon," he said.