The health department plans to hire seven mental health experts at RMH to tackle staffing shortages and improve patient care.
The hospital has a lot of patients, around 1,200 currently, and they see about 400 more in the outpatient department daily. To help with this, the OPD hours have been extended. Now, they’re open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Dr. Shrinivas Kolod, the medical superintendent, mentioned that these new hires will ease the workload on the current staff. Right now, they have 13 approved positions for mental health doctors, but only six are filled.
After a recent visit from health minister Prakash Abitkar, it was clear that filling these vacant positions is crucial. He emphasized the need for quality mental health services.
Dr. Nagnath Yempalay, the district civil surgeon, confirmed they’ve received the go-ahead to hire contractual staff. Some applications have already come in, and they’ll be reviewed soon.