Dhanbad: The pathology department of Sadar Hospital in Dhanbad is facing a serious crisis due to a severe shortage of staff, leaving patients waiting for hours to receive blood test results. The situation is adversely affecting medical care at the district's largest government hospital.

Due to the inadequate number of employees in the pathology unit, the entire process — from sample collection to report generation — is experiencing significant delays. As a direct consequence, many patients are missing their scheduled OPD appointments. Without timely reports, doctors are unable to proceed with diagnosis and treatment, forcing patients to make repeated visits to the hospital.

Adding to the woes, the facility that allowed patients to receive their medical reports on their mobile phones — a key digital health initiative — has also been suspended for the time being. This has particularly impacted patients travelling from remote areas, who are now compelled to either wait indefinitely or revisit the hospital.

The poor and underprivileged patients, who rely entirely on government hospitals for healthcare, are the worst affected by this breakdown in service. Health experts emphasize that a functional pathology department is critical to any hospital's operations, and its dysfunction disrupts the entire healthcare delivery chain.

Local residents and patients are demanding that the district administration and health department take immediate action to fill vacant posts and restore the mobile report delivery service at the earliest.