Pune: In 2023, Pune Municipal Corporation ran what’s known as a ‘gap analysis’ of its maternity centers in the city. The study found problems. The centres lacked specialist doctors, blood banks, ICU units and were found simply incapable of handing complicated cases. Fixes were set in place, but one critical problem persisted — manpower shortage
Two years after the gap analysis, it was recently found that of the 21 maternity centres PMC operates in the city, two don’t have operating theatres and the remaining 19 are managed by only eight gynecologists. Sometimes, women who’re about to deliver, and need a C-section, are rushed out at the last minute to units that have the doctors who can perform the procedure, officials said. These gynecologists have been deployed mainly at Kamala Nehru hospital, Sonawane hospital and Rajiv Gandhi hospital, where most deliveries happen.
The medical college with Kamala Nehru hospital was inaugurated in 2022. “Despite having the college, we’ve not been able to get resident doctors or more manpower,” said Dr Lata Trimbake, the medical superintendent of all the maternity centres.
The staff shortage gets worse. For the 19 maternity centres, there are only six anesthetists, which means only these units can actually perform C-sections and be of any use to a pregnant woman in need.
Dr Trimbake added: “The smaller maternity hospitals don’t have gynaecologists but only MBBS-grade medical officers. Due to the derecognition of several courses at the College of Physician and Surgeons (CPS), we don’t have senior residents who were earlier operating OPDs 24×7. Foreign-returned medical students are being trained, but they’ve not yet been able to replace the senior residents. The shortage is now acute at all our hospitals.”
In complicated pregnancies, lives could be at risk if a pregnant woman is moved from one hospital to another at the last minute. Often patients admitted at the smaller centres are directly asked to go to Kamala Nehru hospital or referred to Sassoon hospital, officials said.
