Odisha is grappling with a critical shortage of medical professionals, profoundly affecting healthcare services across several districts in the State. Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling indirectly highlighted the gravity of the situation in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, revealing that around 5,822 doctor positions still remain vacant, with nearly 55 percent of specialist roles unfilled.
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In Jagatsinghpur, the district headquarters hospital (DHH) is emblematic of this crisis, where overcrowded queues of patients face an acute shortage of doctors.
According to the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), only 72 doctors operate against an approved strength of 140. Alarmingly, specialist roles remain unfilled in crucial departments such as anesthesia, cardiology, and pulmonology.
“We are managing with limited manpower. Several doctors are working for long hours, more than their usual timings. Even to the extent, that some doctors are working double shifts,” Jagatsinghpur CDMO Satrughna Das expressed.
A similar situation prevails in Nayagarh district, where only three out of 82 specialist posts have been filled.
Additionally, the crisis is exacerbated by 196 doctors being on extended leave, further straining the already stretched resources.
Across Odisha, the broader landscape is troubling, with 37 percent of authorised doctor positions vacant. Of the total 15,774 approved positions, only 9,940 are presently filled.
The Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) has criticised the State government’s recruitment process, describing it as inadequate. Despite numerous requests to fill these roles, success remains elusive.
The recent advertisement of 5,248 positions saw a reservation for 4,101 posts for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories, sparking concerns from OMSA about the availability of qualified candidates to meet these reserved numbers.
OMSA doubts efficacy of the recruitment drive
“Out of a vacancy of around 5,000 positions, 440 vacancies are meant for general category candidates, OBC vacancy is 630-640. More than 4,000 vacant positions are to be filled with scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) candidates. However, SC and ST candidates are not available in such a large number. How the vacant positions will then be filled?” OMSA president Dr. Kishore Mishra questioned.
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The State government has assured that procedures are underway to remedy this issue in accordance with official regulations.
Reported By: Pradeep Mohanty, Manas Kanungo, Kapilendra Pradhan
