BHUBANESWAR : AYUSH doctors constitute a majority of the medical workforce that has been deployed for management and treatment of Covid-19 patients in the State-run healthcare facilities. Of around 2,550 doctors deployed by the State government in different dedicated Covid hospitals (DCHs), Covid care centres (CCCs), dedicated Covid health centres (DCHCs) and Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), 1,800 are AYUSH doctors of both Ayurveda and Homeopathy disciplines.
The State has a bed strength of 15,500, including 4,500 in ICUs and HDUs in 84 DHCs, nearly half of which have been set up in collaboration with private hospitals and are being managed by healthcare professionals mobilised by the promoters. The rest of the hospitals, CCCs and DCHCs are manned by the doctors engaged by the government.
While around 60 per cent (pc) of 1,270 regular AYUSH doctors have been deployed for management of Covid patients, 70 pc of 1,450 AYUSH doctors engaged under National Health Mission (NHM) scheme and all 70 mobile health unit in-charges have been assigned Covid duty. The rest are engaged at OPDs and fever clinics at public health facilities.
Barring the cities like Bhubaneswar and Cuttack where they are manning the call centres and RRTs, the AYUSH workforce is deployed in a number of Covid facilities in western Odisha districts besides Ganjam, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj. The RRTs take care of Covid patients in home isolation. The doctors deployed at Covid hospitals are doing duties including intubation of patients, ICU procedures, insertion of central line and other duties besides the assessment of patients’ condition.
“We have been doing the duty of an MBBS doctor and constitute a major workforce during these Covid times, but we are not being paid on par with them. They have been given an incentive of `1,000 per month, which is not extended to us. The doctors under NHM who are paid significantly less are yet to be regularised,” said an AYUSH doctor.
Former State president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr Kamalakanta Panigrahi said the AYUSH doctors work as helping hands of MBBS doctors as they are not authorised to practice allopathy. The health authorities, however, denied that the AYUSH doctors have been deployed in Covid hospitals.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health department PK Mohapatra said around 750 MBBS doctors and interns have been engaged in Covid duty and the AYUSH doctors are manning the CCCs and RRTs as per
the prescribed treatment protocol. “The State pool has 3,800 doctors, interns and final year students, who can be mobilised when required,” Mohapatra said.
DOC ARRANGEMENT
Of 2,500 doctors deployed in Covid facilities, 1,800 are AYUSH docs
70 % of 1,450 NHM docs assigned Covid duty
60 % of 1,270 AYUSH doctors deployed for management of Covid patients