JEYPORE: Doorstep health services in rural areas of Koraput district have come to a grinding halt owing to the dearth of staff at the mobile health units since the past several months.The Health and Family Welfare department, under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), had engaged mobile health and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) units to provide doorstep health services to around 2,800 villages under 14 blocks of the district.
These mobile health services were meant for inaccessible pockets of Bandhugaon, Narayanapatana, Laxmiput, Dasmantpur, Boipariguda and Lamtaput among other areas where community health problems are frequently reported.
However, a large number of posts have been lying vacant since the past many months creating difficulties for the administration to provide health services to the rural pockets of the district even during times of emergency. It has come to the fore that 23 out of the 56 doctor posts, 11 out of the 28 pharmacist posts and 14 of the 28 auxillary nursing midwifery (ANM) posts are lying vacant in all the 14 RBSK units.
Similarly, four out of 14 doctor posts, three out of 14 pharmacist posts and nine out of 14 ANM posts are yet to be filled up in the 14 mobile health units of the district.The public representatives of different blocks have been requesting the district administration to fill up the vacant posts but in vain. Official sources said though the district administration sought permission for recruitment several times in the past, the government has reportedly put NRHM postings on hold.Koraput CDMO Arun Padhi said the vacant posts would be filled up after the administration gets clearance for recruitment.