Alappuzha: Patients visiting the local Employees' State Insurance (ESI) dispensary were put through an agonising wait once again, with the attending physician failing to turn up on time. The incident has reignited long-standing grievances regarding the chronic unavailability of doctors at the facility. Around 30 patients - some of whom had been waiting since 7.30 am - were left in limbo until a doctor finally arrived well past noon.

A large crowd had gathered early in the morning seeking consultations, prescription refills, and medical certificates. Among them were daily-wage earners, including coir factory workers who had planned to report for their shifts right after seeing the doctor.

“About a dozen of us, including myself, arrived by 7.30 in the morning,” said Santhosh, a resident of Thondankulangara. “Even by 11.00 am, there was no sign of a doctor. Unable to endure the wait any longer, several elderly patients simply gave up and went home.”

Operating out of a private building opposite the railway station, this facility is one of the busiest ESI dispensaries in the district, drawing heavy footfall even on Sundays.

Official duty hours require a doctor to be available from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm, but patients allege that physician absenteeism has become the norm rather than the exception. D P Madhu, a workers’ representative on the ESI Hospital Development Committee, acknowledged that authorities have repeatedly failed to resolve this chronic issue. He noted that despite floating vacancies for doctors on a contract basis, they have struggled to find qualified applicants willing to take up the posts.

Frustrated by the ordeal, several patients lodged formal entries in the dispensary’s complaint register before leaving. A grievance redressal forum meets on the second Thursday of every month to take up such issues.

Madhu added that following formal written representations highlighting the dispensary’s plight, V Dorairaj, Central Board Member of the ESI Corporation in charge of Kerala, is scheduled to inspect the facility at 10.00 am on the 12th. The persistent shortage of doctors and related administrative bottlenecks will be formally taken up during the visit.