PESHAWAR, July 4: Teaching hospitals are facing a shortage of staff as a number of the hospitals' employees are practically working as private servants of senior doctors while drawing salaries from hospital funds , sources told this correspondent.

"We are short of staff because about 20 employees, including ward orderlies, sweepers, cooks, dish-washers, midwives and peons, are working in the homes of doctors", said an official at one of the hospitals.

He said that a midwife had been working as housemaid in the house of a deputy medical superintendent for the past five years. "She does not come to the hospital but regularly receives her salary from the hospital every month," he said.

The head of midwives at one of the hospitals said that the shortage of staff was affecting the healthcare system, especially the performance of different wards but she was not in a position to file a complaint against the deputy medical superintendent.

"Many midwives are working in the houses of medical superintendents, their deputies and resident medical officers but being subordinates, we cannot raise any objection," said an office-bearer of the provincial paramedical association.

He said that a ward orderly was still working in the house of a former chief executive of a teaching hospital despite his retirement six months ago.