Dearth of Docs hits Health Services

Dearth of Docs hits Health Services

NABARANGPUR: Even as the State Government has been making tall promises of providing better health services in tribal-dominated areas, Nabarangpur district has been facing shortage of doctors for several years now.

Despite repeated demands of people, the Government is yet to take steps in this regard.

For the last three decades, various hospitals across the district are facing acute shortage of doctors. Their number is less than half of the total sanctioned strength.

Apart from District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), Nabarangpur has seven Community Health Centres (CHCs) and 42 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) which cater to more than 14 lakh population. As per official reports, against the sanctioned strength of 161 doctors, 101 posts have been lying vacant since long in the district. Similarly, of the 56 sanctioned specialist posts, 46 are lying vacant. Of 119 AYUSH doctor posts, 59 are lying vacant in the district.

Similar is the fate of DHH on which people of Nabarangpur and neighbouring areas of Koraput and Kalahandi districts depend for healthcare. Even as the DHH has good infrastructure and modern medical equipment, vacancies in the posts of specialists and doctors have paralysed health services.

Key posts in the departments like medicine, orthopaedics, ENT, skin, anaesthesia and pathology are lying vacant.

This apart, at least 30 pharmacists, 57 health workers and 127 staff nurse posts are lying vacant in various PHCs, CHCs and DHH.

People of the district have expressed their resentment over the apathetic attitude of Health Department in filling up of the vacant posts.

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