Kolkata: AIDS care in disarray as four docs quit in three months

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In city, AIDS care in disarray as four docs quit in three months

Ravik Bhattacharya

Kolkata, September 11: As West Bengal combats an alarming rise in

HIV-AIDS, the state's top medical institution dealing with the

disease is fighting its own battle, with four senior doctors and one

junior doctor resigning in the past three months.

The city-based School of Tropical Medicine's anti-retro viral

therapy (ART) centre is the largest treatment centre for AIDS

patients in the region, where two senior medical officers resigned a

day after joining duty, and a third resigned after receiving

appointment letter to the same post. Another junior doctor also

resigned on September 2.

Though the official reasons varied — " unavoidable circumstances "

and " job condition do not coincide with work profile " — the

situation has emerged as a major concern for the state government.

Started a year back by the state Health department along with

National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), the ART centre at the

Tropical at present caters to over 1,000 critical AIDS patients.

" It seems no doctor is ready to join the School of Tropical

Medicine's ART centre. For the past four months we were trying to

fill up the two vital posts of senior and junior medical officers

but everyone seems to shy away, " a senior health department official

said. " We were able to recruit one senior (doctor) after the three

doctors left, but I do not know how long he will stay. "

The newly recruited doctor is responsible for overall supervision,

treatment and distributing ART medicines to HIV-AIDS patients.

The crisis began in June, with senior medical officer Dr Anish Das's

resignation. Dr Bhaswati Ghosal was appointed to the post on July 4

but she stopped attending duty within seven days of joining.

On July 29, Dr Ghosal sent her resignation to the health department —

" unavoidable circumstances " led to the decision, the resignation

letter said.

She was replaced by Dr Niloy Sinha, of Katihar Medical College and

Hospital in Bihar, on August 4. But officials said he sent an SMS to

Tropical officials after two days, saying he cannot join since

Katihar Medical College was reluctant to release him.

Dr Gouri Kumar was the third person to receive an appointment, on

August 22. But on August 29 she met health department officials and

forwarded her resignation, stating that the " practical job profile

did not coincide with given guidelines " .

All three doctors were appointed by the state HIV-AIDS Prevention

and Control Society, which followed due procedure.

" We do not know the actual reasons for their resignation, " the

health department official said. " It may be the hectic work

schedule, general scare of dealing with AIDS patients or even

harassment. We have had meetings with the doctors who left but no

one confided officially. "

Meanwhile, Suvodip Pal, a junior doctor at the ART centre, resigned

on September 2, making the situation more critical.

Caught off guard, the state government recruited one Dr Nilesh

Sharma as senior medical officer on August 30 on an emergency basis.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=200976