ROURKELA: Vacancy in doctor positions has crippled the services in the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) and peripheral health institutions in 17 blocks of Sundargarh district. The situation worsens with frequent absenteeism of the existing doctors posted in rural areas. According to reports, against the sanctioned posts of 213 doctors, 91 posts are vacant in different health institutions of the district, excluding the Rourkela Government Hospital. The 197-bed DHH handles 300 to 325 patients daily, but it is plagued by 21 vacant posts of doctors against the sanctioned posts of 51. Of the existing 31 doctors at the DHH, eight are in the rank of Joint Director Level-II and Senior Medical Officers are sent to cover outreach health activities for 10 to 15 days in a month.
As many as 71 posts of doctors are also vacant in three sub-divisional hospitals, two area/other hospitals, 20 community health centres (CHCs) and 54 primary health centres (PHCs). A senior health officer, requesting anonymity, said Gurundia, Hathibari (Nuagaon), Hemgir and S Balang (Bonai) CHCs are being managed by only in-charge medical officers (MOs). He said ideally a large CHC should have four specialist doctors but a large number of specialist posts in gynaecology, pediatric, medicine and surgery departments are vacant. Health centres also face a shortage of para-medics.
Consider this: Gurundia is the most backward block in the district with a population of about 72,000 but the Gurundia CHC has only one MBBS doctor as MO. The Banki, Tamra and Jarda PHCs have one each AYUSH doctors as MOs. Worse, the Sol PHC in Gurundia block neither has MBBS doctor nor an AYUSH doctor. Hathibari CHC in the bordering Nuagaon block has one MBBS doctor as MO and last month, villagers had protested the frequent absenteeism of the doctor, while the Nuagaon and Luaram PHCs have one each AYUSH doctor as MO. Sundargarh Chief District Medical Officer SB Naik said the Government is aware of the vacancy position and despite the shortcoming, Health Department is trying to provide better health services to poor patients.
AILING HEALTHCARE
Against the sanctioned posts of 213 doctors, 91 are vacant in different health institutions of the district
The 197-bed DHH handles 300 to 325 patients daily, but it has 21 vacant posts of doctors against the sanctioned posts of 5171 posts of doctors are vacant in three sub-divisional hospitals, two area hospitals, 20 CHCs and 54 PHCs