(a) whether the capital hospitals are facing acute shortage of anesthesiologists due to lack of trained men and brain drain ;
(b) if so, the details of the post of anesthesiologists lying vacant in each of the hospitals of the capital ;and
(c) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE ( SMT. PANABAKA LAKSHMI)
(a) to (c): Health being a State subject, it is the responsibility of the respective State Government to ensure that there is no shortage of skilled manpower in their hospitals. However, in so far as Central Government hospitals are concerned, due to instructions of the Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India vide their O.M. No.2/8/2001-PIC dated 16.5.2001, prescribing a limit that the Direct Recruitment can be reported only against 1/3rd of the vacancies arising in a year subject to a further ceiling of 1% of the total sanctioned strength, this Department is not in a position to fill up all the posts of doctors in various Government hospitals including the posts of Anesthesiologists. As it has been found difficult to apply these instructions for vacancies in Health Sector, Department of Health has already taken up the matter at the highest level seeking exemption of technical/scientific posts from the purview of the DOPT instructions dated 16.5.2001 so that the shortage of manpower is met.