The Urban Dispensary operating from the civil surgeon’s office complex continues to struggle with severe staff shortages and the absence of specialist doctors, raising concerns about the effectiveness of healthcare services meant for residents.
Officials claim the dispensary records an average daily footfall of around 40-50 patients, but due to the current staff shortage, the situation appeared to be stark, with limited patients.
At present, the centre is functioning with four doctors working on a rotational basis, along with two nurses and a pharmacist, while diagnostic and laboratory services are handled by limited support staff. Two doctors attend patients in the morning shift while two others handle the evening shift, and the main medical officer remains on night duty.
Despite these arrangements, the absence of specialists continues to be the biggest gap. Patients requiring treatment for bone-related or eye-related ailments are often referred to other hospitals, particularly the Civil Hospital, as such services are not available at the dispensary.
Diagnostic services are also limited. The radiographer is available only three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, restricting access to X-ray facilities on other days. According to staff members, the centre also has one medical laboratory technician and one staff nurse, Preet Kamal Kaur, who assists with routine services.
The dispensary is further constrained by limited pharmaceutical support. Only one pharmacist is posted at the facility, and with the pharmacist currently on leave, patients have faced difficulties in obtaining medicines. Staff members also acknowledged that medicine shortages occur occasionally.
Among the few patients present at the facility was Manpreet Kaur, who said she had earlier visited the Civil Hospital but did not get relief. “I had gone to Civil Hospital earlier, but did not get much relief. I came here yesterday for the first time, hoping to get better treatment,” she said. Senior medical officer, Kawaljit Kaur, said the dispensary continues to face manpower constraints, which affect its operations.