The government has appointed seven doctors for the Civil Hospital in Malerkotla.
The new appointees include two gynaecologists, one surgeon and one physician.
While MLA Jamil Ur Rahman has claimed that the development comes due to his efforts, a social activist and advocate, Bhisham Kinger, said appointments were made ahead of the next date of hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by him in the Punjab and Haryana Court in Chandigarh over the scarcity of staff at the hospital.
“We are glad that the government has made fresh appointments due to the PIL that was filed in the interest of general public,” said Kinger. He claimed that the said appointments were made as the government had been asked to file status report on the recruitment of doctors at the hospital.
A perusal of records revealed that the Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, Anurag Verma had issued orders to deploy seven doctors at the hospital on Tuesday.
“Keeping in view the public interest, medical officers (general/specialists), who have reported at the office of the DHS, are being deployed permanently as follows,” reads the order, adding that the direction had been issued after seeking approval from the state Health and Family Welfare Minister.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier asked the respondent government to submit the status report on the recruitment process through an affidavit by the Chief Secretary of the State of Punjab.
Residents had been demanding deployment of more doctors as the acute staff shortage was affecting the functioning of the hospital.
The hearing of the PIL is now listed for February 13.
