KOCHI: Even as the Oncology Department at Ernakulam General Hospital is crippling with shortage of doctors, the government has failed to fill the vacancies there.Though the PSC has brought out a rank list to fill the posts, the government has not issued any orders to make the appointments.Ernakulam General Hospital is the only hospital under the Directorate of Health Service which has an Oncology Department. The department has a 100-bed inpatient strength."There were three oncologists in the hospital. One of them went abroad and another one is on longleave after undergoing a surgery. Now, one doctor has to take care of all the patients," said Dr Junaid Rehman, Hospital Superintendent.It has been two months since the PSC brought out the rank list. With the shortage of doctors, patients in the outpatient department are at the receiving end.Being the only centre where poor cancer patients can undergo treatment, those who cannot afford costly treatment have to bear the brunt of the shortage of doctors.The hospital offers radiation treatment and chemotherapy.According to the doctors who attended the test conducted by the PSC, the procedure for appointment is a tiresome one."I attended the interview which I found very nice. When I submitted my postgraduate certificate, the PSC authorities found that the date on which the certificate was sent to me was after the notification for the post was out. The date of issuance of the certificate is much ahead of the notification date. But the authorities insisted that I should produce a letter from the board stating that the certificate was issued earlier," said a doctor who had been excluded from the final list.
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