Chandigarh, Feb. 23 -- In a week's time, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research plans to start the long-awaited dedicated emergency facility at its Advanced Cardiac Centre (ACC). However, the prevailing staffing crisis has left the employees feeling the pressure. Running emergency services 24x7 would require additional staff, coordination among multiple departments, but the 210-bed centre has been grappling with a severe shortage of employees. The centre comprises three departments - with cardiology, the biggest one - followed by cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, and the newly created cardiac anaesthesia and intensive care. But the cardiology department is reeling under shortage of nursing staff, with 42% posts lying vacant. The ACC has a total of 236 nursing staff sanctioned posts, of which 225 are for the cardiology department. Among these, only 130 posts are filled, leaving 95 vacant. The technical staff, required for the smooth functioning of ECG, echo, X-ray and other test facilities, is also short-handed, with 10 of 50 sanctioned posts vacant. While ECG, echocardiogram, X-ray and other tests are conducted in the centre from 9 to 5 pm window frame, the service would be required round-the-clock in the main emergency wing, necessitating more staff. Further, there is only one phlebotomist in the heart command area to draw blood from patients. For a 24-hour emergency wing, the centre would least require at least four phlebotomists spread across shifts. Since the cardiac centre's inception in 2009, the critical gap in patient care and a dedicated emergency service has long been felt. Currently, cardiac emergency patients are first brought to the main emergency wing and then shifted to ACC upon identification of heart-related issues. On the recent announcement of starting the emergency facility, ACC faculty cited lack of knowledge about the move. Dr Yash Paul Sharma, head of the cardiology department, said, "The decision to operationalise emergency services in the centre is welcomed, but we don't have details on how it will function. We have been asking for manpower for a long time for vacant posts as well as for additional posts. To run emergency service efficiently, adequate number of hospital attendants, nursing officers, technical, clerical and other staff would be required." Another faculty member from the department said no intimation was receivedabout opening up of the emergency service: "We got to know about the development from news outlets and haven't had any meetings regarding the move." The centre caters to over 1.5 lakh OPD patients annually. In 2024, 1,55,055 patients visited the OPD, including 38,000 new registrations, including 3,000 paediatric patients. Over 1 lakh patients visited the OPD between January 2025 and January 2026 as well. When contacted, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal said, "Preparatory work is underway. Internal processes, space planning and manpower alignment are being streamlined before formal operationalisation. In a high-volumepublic hospital like ours, resources are always stretched, but patient welfare remains our top priority." "We are committed to starting the services in a phased and responsible manner, ensuring that quality of care is maintained while strengthening emergency response for cardiac patients," he added....