BARIPADA: Shortage of doctors and paramedical staff has paralysed healthcare services at Badasahi Community Health Centre (CHC) in Mayurbhanj district.
Out of the sanctioned strength of five doctor posts, four are lying vacant in the 30-bed CHC since long. The posts are paediatric specialist, surgeon, medicine specialist and anaesthesiologist. Similarly, of six paramedical posts, five are lying vacant.
At present, gynaecologist Narayan Chandra Behera, who is also in-charge of Medical Officer, is managing the affairs of the CHC which receives more than 300 patients daily. Sources said surgeon Harish Chandra Dhamudia was transferred from the CHC to VIMSAR, Burla after he was promoted to Assistant Professor. Similarly, anaesthesiologist Bikash Nayak was transferred from the CHC two years back.
Set up in 1961, the CHC had got status of Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS) in 2006-2007 to provide quality healthcare services as per District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) standard. But the First Referral Unit of the block failed to meet the demands due to lack of adequate doctors and infrastructure.
Besides the CHC, three homeopathic and five allopathic health centres are running in the block where 38 ANMs and 168 ASHA workers have been engaged. But health centres at Sankarka, Deulia and Sakuar have no doctors.
Sources said around 225 villages comprising more than two lakh population depend on the CHC for basic healthcare services. The CHC is located 45 km from Baripada DHH. Locals alleged that due to Government negligence, villagers and tribals are not getting adequate healthcare services from the CHC and demanded immediate posting of doctors.
The Medical Officer said, “We are roping in doctors from Manitri hospital during emergency situation, but no permanent solution is available yet. Doctors in five PHCs under the CHC are not available. Though a doctor was serving at Kamalasol PHC, he was deputed to Pandit Raghunath Murmu MCH at Baripada recently.”
Deputy Speaker of Assembly Sananda Marandi said the State Government had sanctioned 32 doctors for Mayurbhanj district in 2016-17, but 14 of them preferred to pursue higher studies. The Health Minister has been apprised about the matter, he added.