NUAPADA: With Jay Dholakia elected as the new MLA of Nuapada, the district’s most critical and long-neglected issues will demand his attention.
While the bypoll was dominated by emotion, symbolism and candidate narratives, residents now hope that the new legislator will shift focus to the ground realities that affect daily life.
The seven-storey district headquarters hospital, inaugurated in 2020 during the pandemic, stands as one of the most visible landmarks of Nuapada town. But for years, it has been functioning with severe staff crunch, forcing hundreds of patients to seek treatment in neighbouring Chhattisgarh most of the times.
According to official data, the DHH has a sanctioned strength of 40 specialist doctors, but only 11 are currently in position. Similarly, of the 84 sanctioned assistant surgeon posts, just 31 are filled. Among key specialists, the hospital has three gynaecologists against five sanctioned, two paediatricians against three, one surgeon against two, one anaesthetist against two, and one medicinal specialist against two.
In peripheral hospitals, the gaps are even more striking. Out of 171 sanctioned specialist posts, only 91 are filled. The periphery has two gynaecologists against six sanctioned, two paediatricians against seven, no surgeons against six nor any anaesthetist, and two medicine specialists against six.
Moreover, the 170-bed DHH, often operates far beyond capacity, at times accommodating up to 300 patients. The crisis is compounded by a shortage of intensive care facilities, with just six ICU beds available, as confirmed by chief district medical officer Dr Dhaneswar Sethy.
While the ruling party spoke of building a medical college in Nuapada, the persistent shortage of doctors and infrastructure at existing hospitals remains unresolved. With residents repeatedly highlighting these issues in the past, strengthening healthcare services is likely to be one of the first major responsibilities facing Dholakia Jr.
Nuapada has for decades been one of Odisha’s worst-affected districts of distress migration. Many of them are educated youth who see no employment opportunities locally. While there is no official data, sources estimate that around 25,000 migrant voters belong to Nuapada district, with nearly 12,000 linked to the Nuapada Assembly segment alone. This migration cycle has long shaped the region’s economic and social landscape.
Interestingly, the bypoll period saw many workers delaying their departure in the hope of temporary benefits or election. But larger issues like lack of local jobs, insufficient skill development programmes, and limited livelihood support never found space in campaign speeches by any party during the period of bypoll. Jay will be expected to take a more proactive role in reshaping employment opportunities and reducing Nuapada’s dependence on migration.
Nearly 40 per cent of Nuapada’s population belongs to scheduled tribes. However, community leaders say progress has been slow across successive governments despite Jay’s late father Rajendra Dholakia being the MLA for four consecutive terms in the Assembly segment.
According to tribal leader Bhanupratap Majhi, more than 22,000 tribal land patta applications are still pending. Likewise, education support schemes for ST and SC students like ANWESHA have been discontinued, implementation of the Forest Rights Act has stalled, and financial assistance for GNM and B Sc Nursing courses reduced or delayed after the BJP came to power, he claimed.