BHUBANESWAR: Despite all the hype created by the State government over ensuring “best healthcare facilities and services” down to the grassroots, Odisha continues to be among the worst performers in healthcare sector in the country, a recent study by NITI Aayog has revealed.
Only one district hospital in the State met the norms of Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) for positioned staff nurses and only around eight hospitals fulfilled the doctor to bed ratio, the NITI report has stated.
As per the report - Best Practices in the Performance of District Hospitals - released on Thursday, September 30, 2021, of the 32 district hospitals in the State, only 19 met the IPHS norms for positioned paramedical staff. The number of doctors, staff nurses and paramedics for a 100-bed hospital as per IPHS norms is 29, 45 and 31. It is 34, 90 and 42 for a 200-bed hospital and 50, 135 and 66 for a 300-bed hospital.
However, providing a slight spark in the dismal scenario, the district hospitals of Balangir and Mayurbhanj are among the top performing healthcare centres in the country for ratio of doctors in position. Balangir hospital has 2.26 times the requisite staff while Mayurbhanj has 2.14 times more.
Overall, the ratio of doctors in position in the State is 0.94, at eighth position among the major states. The ratio of staff nurses in proportion to norms is 0.5 with the State ranked 16th. The ratio of nurses in hospitals in Bihar, Assam and West Bengal is more than that of Odisha.
Similar is the condition with the paramedics. With a ratio of 1.38, the State ranked ninth among the major states while being much below the national average of 1.54. Further, only five district hospitals have 14 recommended functional core specialities, including general medicine, surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics, critical care, ENT, anaesthesia, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, dental care and radiology. Most of the hospitals have 11 specialities. Balangir again is one of the top-performing district hospitals in the category.
However, not a single hospital has all 14 diagnostic testing services with an average of nine services available in the 32 DHHs. Only three district hospitals have all the 14 support services. With 65.68 pc, Odisha is ranked eighth in bed occupancy rate. Fifteen hospitals have a bed occupancy rate greater than or equal to 90 pc. Two hospitals Gajapati and Deogarh are among the top three 100-bed hospitals in the country having a bed occupancy rate up to 100 pc.
Among the mid-sized hospitals, Balangir topped the country in bed occupancy. The average functional bed per one lakh population in the district hospitals in the State is 22 against the national average of 24.
ONLY SILVER LINING
District hospitals of Balangir and Mayurbhanj among top-performing healthcare centres in the country for the ratio of doctors in position
Balangir hospital has 2.26 times the requisite staff
Mayurbhanj has 2.14 times more doctors
Balangir tops country in bed occupancy