PESHAWAR, Aug 10: Shortage of doctors has been affecting the performance of the orthopaedic ward of Khyber Teaching Hospital, doctors told Dawn on Saturday.

“At present, only three doctors are working in the orthopaedic ward of the hospital. They are required to cater to the needs of the two wards — orthopaedic and trauma — comprising of 80 beds,” a doctor at the hospital said. According to him, the sole unit at the hospital also receive emergency cases which needed the presence of doctors in the ward for 24 hours but owing to shortage of doctors, most of the patients suffer.

The professor of the ward, Dr Samin Arbab has gone on leave while the associate professor Dr Zafar Durrani is also on leave, though he comes to the operation theatre occasionally and operates only those patients who are seen by him during the institution-based practice. The assistant professor Dr Khushnood Ali Baz has tendered resignation against the personal practice. The ward is being run by one senior registrar, one junior registrar and one medical officer because the senior medical officer of the unit is also enjoying holidays.

“The workload has increased immensely as it is  almost impossible for three doctors to cope with the increasing number of patients. The rush at the orthopaedic OPD has become a big source of embarrassment to both for patients and doctors,” said a doctor at the hospital.

According to him, the doctors examine the patients two days a week at the OPD while for two days they remain busy in operation theatre while the number of OPD’s patients visiting the hospital reaches to an average of hundred a day.

Not only examination, but filling of investigation forms for the patients also consume most of the time of doctors at the OPD, a doctor said. Similarly, he said the doctors have to operate roughly 20-30 patients which is a herculean task. Subsequently, patients have to wait for weeks even for  simple operations.

The workload has affected the performance of the doctors because they are extremely busy to meet the needs of patients. A case in point is an operation by the doctors on Tuesday last where a junior registrar operated upon the wrong hip of a woman patient. The doctor was immediately suspended by the hospital administration.

The insiders said the incident can only be called  as unfortunate because the same doctor remain busy in the ward for 24 to attend emergency patients.

“It is the responsibility of the administration to arrange for doctors for orthopaedic ward, otherwise such mishaps would occur in future as well because no doctor would mistreat or wrongly operate any patient intentionally,” another doctor said.