BMC maternity homes face lack of paediatricians, gynaecologists

The need for paediatricians is higher, with 47 per cent posts lying vacant.

Civic-run maternity homes across the city are battling a shortage of paediatricians, forcing them to refer patients to tertiary hospitals for even basic services such as caesarean section deliveries and new-born care.

Across 28 maternity homes in Mumbai, there is vacancy for 25 gynaecologists and 23 paediatricians. The need for paediatricians is higher, with 47 per cent posts lying vacant.

Information gathered from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows that while paediatricians are available for out-patient services during the day, the functioning of indoor services, especially at night, is put on hold due to absence of full-time paediatric medical officers.

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Of 38 sanctioned posts for officers, 14 are vacant, while out of 11 posts for honorary paediatricians, there is a vacancy for nine.

The BMC maternity homes account for 20 per cent of all deliveries taking place in government hospitals. In 2015, there were 15,252 deliveries recorded in the 28 maternity homes. There is also a need for recruiting more gynaecologists — 25 of 84 posts are vacant.

According to senior civic officials, there has been poor response from doctors for working in maternity homes.

Even as the BMC is developing five of its maternity homes into sentinel centres, where neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and improved surgical care will be given to pregnant women, senior health officials admitted that the services cannot be facilitated until posts for gynaecologists and paediatricians are filled.

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“The problem gets acute during night, when paediatricians and gynaecologists are not present,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, deputy executive health officer.

The maternity homes also have no posts for anaesthetists. In emergency caesarean procedures, the maternity homes have to look for an anaesthetist who can come on call.

Of the five maternity homes, NICUs have already been started at those in Oshiwara and Bhandup. Six other homes are being upgraded.

Realising it needs a third party to manage human resources in health centres, the BMC is now roping in services of a private hiring agency to recruit doctors for urban public health centres under the National Health Mission.

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Currently, the BMC has five maternity homes with NICU facility, eight maternity homes that have been upgraded and 15 peripheral maternity homes that focus only on normal deliveries.

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