When Doctors Fall Short

Context: Considering the current shortage of doctors (and nurses, paramedics, assistants and so on) amid the pandemic spreading into the hinterland, the optimum usage of doctors and medical staff is the immediate prudent option.

Suggestions for increasing the health care workforce:

• Restructuring of primary healthcare: Setting up units that approximate primary health care centres in every unit of a district to triage cases and provide preliminary care is now a must.
• Employ nurse practitioners: Since we can create enough doctors, nurse practitioners (and physician assistants) who graduate after four-six years can be permitted to triage the sick as Covid/ non-Covid cases.
  • They can anticipate oxygen requirements and thus save a lot of time as aweel as reduce a lot of confusion and crowding of hospitals.
• Training doctors of other specialities: like dermatology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, general surgeons, laparoscopic surgeons etc.) in critical care of the respiratory system.
  • Final year student must be left untouched in their academic pursuits as it will be detrimental to healthcare in the coming years if the doctors in the making are disturbed.
  • Authorities can help organise exams at the right time so that they can complete the degrees in the stipulated time.
• Developing a telemedicine web model: Which is closely linked to primary care centres.
  • The telemedicine room can be installed in pharmacies in villages or small towns equipped with the right telemedicine kits (like digital stethoscope, thermometer, BP machines, oximeter, glucometer, audiometer etc.)
  • Authorities should implement telemedicine solutions through a viable PPP model, reaching to the nooks and corners of the country,
  • For first time consultations, retired doctors can be employed, and even new doctors can avail the support from a technology-enabled clinical support system.
  • Other wellness models can also work around telemedicine units, where a person can, with the aid of a trained health worker, be able to diagnose himself/herself.
• Find a way to bring back missing women doctors:
  • While the girls make up more than 55% of students joining medical colleges, only 17% of all allopathic doctors and 6% of those in rural areas are women.
  • This is less than one female allopathic doctor per 10,000 population in rural areas (0.5), whereas the ratio is 6.5 in urban areas.
  • The gender gap increases at post-graduation and doctoral levels: The percentage of female doctors is around one-third of male doctors.