CUTTACK: The State government has informed the Orissa High Court that nearly 44 per cent of the doctor posts are lying vacant in district headquarter hospitals, periphery hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres across the State.
In an affidavit filed on Wednesday, Special Secretary (Medical Services) Dr. Dinabandhu Panda said the total sanctioned strength of medical officers in the Odisha Medical Health Services (OMHS) cadre is 8,546 which includes 5,838 general duty medical officers and 2,708 specialist medical officers.
As of December 7, 2021, there is a vacancy of 3,523 in the posts of general duty medical officers in the OMHS cadre and 2,315 are in position. Similarly, 1,211 posts of specialist medical officers in the OMHS cadre are vacant as 1,497 are in position, Dr. Panda said.
The affidavit was filed when the Court was taking stock of the number of vacancies in the posts of doctors in the State as part of adjudication on a PIL which was filed by social activist and lawyer Chittaranjan Mohanty in 2018.
Earlier in an affidavit, Additional Chief Secretary of Health department Raj Kumar Sharma had stated that there were 1,985 vacant posts of medical officers in the OMHS cadre as 6,744 medical officers were in position against a sanctioned strength of 8,729 posts.
However, the Court had on November 17 this year observed that granular data regarding the sanctioned and working strength of government doctors district-wise and specialty-wise is not indicated and sought a detailed affidavit.
Accordingly, Dr. Panda filed the fresh affidavit which indicated that the number of vacant posts of general duty medical officers is higher in Ganjam (226), Mayurbhanj (165), Sundargarh (129) and Balangir (125).
Similarly, vacancies in the posts of specialist medical officers are higher in Mayurbhanj (117), Sundargarh (90), Koraput (78) and Ganjam (69).
Taking note of the affidavit, the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice AK Mohapatra has fixed January 8 for the next hearing on the matter.