BHUBANESWAR: Reeling under a huge vacancy of doctors and specialists in peripheral hospitals, the State government on Tuesday decided to start two-year Post Graduate diploma course in different branches of medical science from next year.
The PG diploma courses will be offered in government medical colleges and district headquarters hospitals which have been elevated to medical colleges. This was decided at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi.
Selective specialists having 10 years of experience will be sent to College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mumbai for further training. On successful completion of their training, they will teach and train MBBS doctors in diploma courses like paediatric, anaesthesiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology, orthopaedic and ophthalmology.
Sources in the Health and Family Welfare Department said the State Government has already approved and the courses will be provided at Capital Hospital and all other district headquarters hospitals.
As many as 120 specialist doctors will be created by 2020 and they will be posted in peripheral hospitals where such posts are lying vacant.
Meanwhile, the State government has been paying special incentives to doctors working in remote areas. In a bid to lure doctors to work in rural areas, the government is paying Rs 80,000 incentive per month which is 100 per cent extra against the salary of a specialist working in vulnerable areas and Rs 40,000 extra to MBBS doctors posted in difficult terrains.
The State government has divided 1,751 government hospitals into five categories, V0 being the least vulnerable hospitals and V5 being the most vulnerable, calculated on the basis of on ground realities such as backwardness of the area, tribal dominance, Left Wing Extremism, road or train communication, social infrastructure and distance from the State headquarters.
The number of vacancies in V4 areas has reduced to 16 while in V4 areas 52 doctor posts are lying vacant.
As doctors not joining in inaccessible tribal dominated areas is a major problem for the State, the Chief Secretary asked the department to identify those doctors who are on unauthorised leave for a long time and take suitable action against them.
Healthcare boost
Selective specialists with 10 years experience to be sent to College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mumbai
On completion of training, they will teach and train MBBS doctors in diploma courses
The diploma courses include paediatrics, anaesthesiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology, orthopaedic and ophthalmology
120 specialist doctors will be created by 2020
They will be posted in peripheral hospitals where such posts are lying vacant