A letter by the head of the department of surgery, GMCH-32, sent to the professor-in-charge, academics, states that in view of the acute shortage of residents at the department of surgery, the department will be withdrawing postgraduate residents from the surgical specialities - neurosurgery, urology, plastic surgery and cardio-thoracic vascular surgery (CTVS) with effect from October 1, 2025. In response to the severe shortage of resident doctors that has hit the crucial super-speciality departments at GMCH-32, the neurosurgery, CTVS, and plastic surgery units have written to the hospital administration, expressing concerns that without immediate deputation of staff, patient care and emergency services will be severely affected. At present, both the CTVS and plastic surgery departments are functioning with only one consultant each. These specialists are on 24x7 emergency call duty, handling complex and time-consuming surgeries, including cardiac, thoracic, reconstructive and microsurgical procedures. Doctors point out that the surgeries require multiple assisting hands in the operating theatre and intensive postoperative monitoring. Currently, the two units are managed with only one junior resident and one intern posted on a monthly rotation from general surgery. “If even this limited resident support is withdrawn, it will be very tough to provide timely emergency surgical care, manage post-operative patients, sustain operative services and support other departments like cardiology and trauma,” doctors wrote in their representation. They have demanded that the administration strengthen these units by posting senior residents, PG junior residents and non-PG junior residents. The crisis is even more severe at the department of neurosurgery of the hospital, which has been running uninterrupted neurosurgical services since 1996 and is one of GMCH’s oldest super-speciality units. The department currently has just two consultants, one PG junior resident and one intern, and they run four OPDs a week, each with a daily footfall of 70–100 patients, as well as four to five operating theatre tables per week. The neurosurgery unit also manages 12 ward beds, eight HDU beds for ventilated and critical patients, and between 10 and 20 patients admitted to the Trauma Block at any given time. “In total, we are looking after 30 to 40 inpatients on most days, and without junior staff, it is becoming impossible to provide adequate care,” doctors stated in their representation. What also worries doctors is the absence of a round-the-clock junior medical resident. “Usually, at night, there is no one in the hospital to take care of neurosurgical patients in the emergency, wards, HDU. If a patient becomes sick, the resident has to rush from the hostel or home. Earlier, a surgery resident used to provide night cover for neurosurgery emergencies, but this practice is no longer followed,” a faculty member explained. The faculty members said that consultants are also overburdened, as they don’t have anyone to share their work with in the OPD and OTs, with each on call for 24 hours a day, at least 15 days a month, handling emergency duties through the night and regular OPDs and surgeries the following morning. “This is taking a toll on the mental and physical health of doctors, and they are finding it difficult to provide a standard of care to the patients,” one of the letters stated. Doctors of the department of neurosurgery, CTVS and plastic surgery, referring to the notice from the head of the general surgery via the letter stating that department of surgery won’t be able to depute junior residents on rotation to the neurosurgery department from October 1, with the unavailability of junior staff, it will be difficult to provide emergency neurosurgical services in the Trauma Block. The letter states that the department should not be blamed if proper care is not provided to the admitted patients because of staff crunch. The doctors add that in addition to managing both elective and emergency surgeries, the units of plastic surgery and CTVS run daily and speciality OPDs, providing essential surgical back-up to other departments, and pointed out that currently there are no assistant specialist doctors posted in either unit. The Department of Plastic Surgery is currently looking after 10 burn ICU beds. Chandigarh has only two dedicated burn units, one at PGI and one at GMCH. Burn patient care requires specialised staff and round-the-clock attention. At present, a single plastic surgery consultant is responsible for managing all 10 beds. Any reduction in postings will directly compromise the quality of care, and burn patients will be the ones to suffer the most. The doctors have requested that senior, junior residents and non-PG junior residents be provided on an urgent basis to ensure safe, smooth, and uninterrupted functioning of these vital speciality services. The letters highlight the crucial role that resident doctors play in government hospitals, managing wards, assisting in surgeries, monitoring emergency cases, and providing round-the-clock coverage. Their absence, senior doctors said, could put both patients and faculty under severe stress.
