At a time when hundreds of posts of doctors and paramedics are lying vacant in backward areas of the State, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed the Health department to create and fill up 5371 posts of assistant surgeons and other staff.
The Chief Minister, who reviewed the activities of the Health department at a high level meeting in the Secretariat here, also announced that the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) will be launched in Odisha very soon.The posts will be created for 436 assistant surgeons, 200 dental surgeons, 1024 staff nurse, 1885 female health workers, 125 radiographers, 433 laboratory technicians and 1268 male health workers. Describing creation of such a large number of posts in the Health department as unique, Health Minister Damodar Rout said this will provide health services to the people in remote corners of the State.
To a question on the large number of vacancies in the posts of doctors and paramedics in tribal areas, the Minister said steps are being taken to fill up the vacancies by making ad hoc appointment of doctors. He said the State Government has so far given ad hoc appointment to 443 assistant surgeons to fill up the vacancies. Ad hoc appointment in 436 new posts will be made soon as per the decision taken by the Chief Minister on Thursday, he said.
Rout said 282 posts of dental surgeons will be created and 200 of them will be appointed. Stating that at present dental surgeons are posted only in district hospitals, the Minister said it has been decided to appoint dental surgeons at the community health centres (CHCs).
He further said students in all educational institutions from primary to Plus Two level will be covered under the RBSK. As many as 728 health units with each having four employees including a doctor will be set up to visit educational institutions to provide health services.
Opposition Congress has, however, described the move as a decision to woo the voters before the urban body polls. Large scale vacancies in the posts of doctors and paramedics came to the notice of the Chief Minister only when the urban polls are going to be notified within three to four days, said a senior Congress leader.