Chandigarh, Aug 30 (IANS): Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda on Friday said about 20,000 posts were lying vacant in health services in the state.

“There is a shortage of 14,000 doctors in hospitals. About 94 per cent of specialist doctors' posts are lying vacant in villages. Due to lack of staff and facilities, thousands of patients have been facing difficulties,” he said.

Congress leader Hooda said patients have to make rounds of hospitals for several days for lab tests, or they have been compelled to go to private laboratories.

“According to WHO guidelines, there should be one doctor for every 1,000 people, but in Haryana there is one doctor for 2,035 people. There should be one bed for 200 people, but in the state there is one bed for 2,086 people.

“Owing to this, it is seen in many places that two or three patients are lying on one bed and deliveries are taking place on the floor. More than 1,100 out of 5,253 posts of Senior Medical Officer, Medical Officer and Dental Surgeon have been lying vacant,” Hooda said in a statement here.

The two-time chief minister said that in 2014 the BJP had promised that it would build medical colleges “in every district as soon as it comes to power”.

“The reality is that in the last 10 years, not even a single new medical college announced by the BJP has been started. Only the institutions built during the Congress’ tenure are providing health services to the people,” he pointed out.

He said the Congress had built a health university and six medical colleges during its tenure.

“The first medical university of the state was also opened during the Congress’ rule. After Independence, the first government medical college for women in the country was opened by the Congress in Sonipat.

“On the other hand, the BJP got the 10 national-level institutes approved by the Congress government along with Jhajjar AIIMS-II cancelled. If those institutes had been built in Jhajjar, the people of the state would have benefited a lot,” Hooda slammed.