BHADRAK:Healthcare services in the coastal district of Bhadrak have been paralysed due to shortage of doctors. Even as the State Government posted 19 newly-recruited medicos in Bhadrak, 18 of them have gone on leave for higher studies. Of the sanctioned posts of 161 doctors for a population of 15 lakh in the district, only 80 have been filled up.
Out of 50 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the district, 14 are running without doctors. The rest are being managed by contractual doctors who visit the health centre occasionally. On Monday, hundreds of women staged a demonstration outside the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Chandabali demanding posting of doctors there. Similar agitations have been held in the past several times. Out of seven CHCs, four have no medical officers. Specialist posts of medicine, pediatrics and gynaecology are lying vacant since long in Chandbali, Dhamnaghar, Basudevpur, Bhandaripokhari and Agarpada CHCs.
Plight of the District Headquarters Hospital is no different. There are no doctors in the ENT while the District Malaria Officer and District Leprosy Officer posts have been lying vacant for the last 15 months. All specialist posts are lying vacant and they are being managed by Junior Class I doctors. Trauma care unit is not functioning since 2014 as there are no doctors. Infrastructure wise, there are not enough beds in the DHH and patients can be seen lying on the floor in every ward. The indoor has only 223 beds but on any given day, 400 patients are admitted.
“The Centre provided `20 crore under National Rural Health Mission to strengthen the health infrastructure. But, the situation remains the same,” alleged Tushar Jena, local BJP leader. Chief District Medical Officer Ramesh Chandra Mohanty said the Health Department has been apprised of the situation.