Ludhiana, Dec. 9 -- The health department is grappling with a severe shortage of medicine specialists, with 18 out of 22 sanctioned posts lying vacant in the district. This shortage is affecting patient care across health facilities, particularly in the civil hospital, which bears the brunt of the patient load.

Ludhiana has 265 health and wellness centres (dispensaries), 17 community health centres (CHCs), four sub-divisional hospitals (SDHs), and one district hospital. In the absence of permanent physicians at most CHCs, the civil hospital remains the primary centre for outpatient care, handling 200-250 patients daily in the medicine OPD.

Until two months ago, the civil hospital did not have a permanent physician. Physicians from CHC M...