Chandigarh, Oct. 21 -- Seven years after it was opened to meet the healthcare needs of the southern sectors and reduce the burden on the city's three main hospitals, the 100-bed government hospital at Sector 48, functioning as the south campus of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, remains underutilised due to a lack of dedicated doctors, nurses, technical staff and other personnel.

With no sanctioned posts, the facility depends on GMCH staff to provide services as a token arrangement, adding to their already heavy workload. The absence of permanent staff also drives away patients, who, in the absence of clarity on whether they will receive timely treatment, prefer to go to other facilities rather than taking a ris...