Kolkata: City hospitals' Pediatrics and CTVS wards in shambles for want of PDTs

KOLKATA: If you are suffering from a heart ailment or have a sick kid in Kolkata, you might have to run from one hospital to another as the heart and

pediatrics

treatment departments in Kolkata's government hospitals are in shambles.


The number of Post-Doctoral Trainees (PDT) in pediatric surgery department of city's three medical colleges is only seven in stead of 30, while in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (

CTVS

) department, there are only 10 doctors in stead of 60 in four medical colleges. The RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in North Kolkata does not have a single PDT. This has been posing severe problems in the treatment of children and lung surgery. Even the departmental heads of these hospitals do not reject this claim.

The veteran doctors of the city feel today’s medicos are not interested to study in these two super specialty streams.

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On August 25, counselling for All India Super Specialty courses concluded and classes are to resume from September 1.

However, like previous years, the numbers of PDTs in pediatrics and CTVS are again very low this year.

Head of CTVS in SSKM hospital, Subhankar Bhattacharya said, "We have to do 4-5 emergency operations every day. Then there are almost four more open heart and bypass surgeries. If we do not finish these operations, they will not be able to control the rising number of patients. At the same time, we do not have enough PDTs. Only one has joined this year."

Pediatric doctors of NRS hospital fears this condition would lead to shut down of the department.

Head of CTVS at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, Dr Plaban Mukherjee is also disappointed with the current condition. He said, "In stead of 18, we are working with only one PDT. The waiting list of bypass surgery patients in my department only has reached 70."

Why Kolkata lacks PDT in pediatric surgery and CTVS?

Education and health director Pradip Mitra said, "The interest of studying in these subjects has decreased in entire country."

But according to doctors, the reason is different. They believe that because of low salary and bond issues, the number is decreasing. "In other states, where one PDT earns Rs 70-90,000 on an average, here the amount is only Rs 42,000. Then they have to sign a three-year bond," said one doctor.