The Sundargarh Government Medical College & Hospital (SGMCH), a 330-bed institution in Sundargarh town, is grappling with significant challenges in delivering patient care due to a lack of adequate facilities and department-specific equipment, reported The New Indian Express.
Critical units, including the operating theatres for the labour room, gynaecology, paediatric intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, and medicine and surgical ICUs, are either partially functional or entirely defunct.
The absence of a trauma, cardiac, and burn centre, as well as a CT scan facility, further compounds the issue, although radiology services have recently been introduced, according to The New Indian Express.
Equipment shortages across departments
The SGMCH faces a critical shortage of department-specific equipment, severely affecting operations. The dental department remains non-operational due to the lack of essential equipment, such as dental chairs. Similarly, the ophthalmology and orthopaedic departments are only partially functional due to missing equipment, which is expected to be supplied by the Odisha State Medical Corporation.
Lack of super specialty services
The absence of postgraduate (PG) courses at SGMCH has prevented the introduction of super specialty services. This limitation, coupled with ongoing pressure from the state government and public to operationalise emergency services, has strained the institute.
Authorities face a dilemma, as deploying faculty doctors to the casualty department would disrupt medical education, and no additional doctors have been assigned to manage emergency services.
Growing student intake and infrastructure challenges
Since admitting its first batch of 100 MBBS students in the 2022-23 academic session, SGMCH is preparing to enroll its fourth batch in 2025-26, increasing the student strength to 400.
However, with the current hostel capacity limited to 350, the institute will face an acute shortage of student accommodation starting next year. Future plans to introduce PG courses will further necessitate additional hostel facilities and residential quarters for faculty and staff.
The institute initially managed with phased doctor postings to meet the needs of first- and second-year students. However, as student intake grows, there is an increasing demand for additional doctors and staff quarters for both faculty and paramedical staff, who currently face insufficient housing.
MCH superintendent Prof NC Sahani acknowledged the resource and manpower challenges, stating, “The government has been apprised of the resource and manpower needs of the institute and said necessary measures are being taken up in a phased manner.”
