More than 2.9k doctor posts vacant in hospitals, govt tells Orissa high court

Cuttak: The state government on Wednesday informed the Orissa high court that over 2,900 posts of doctors are still vacant in the different government hospitals, including medical college hospitals.

The HC was hearing the PIL filed by Chittaranjan Mohanty, a 72-year-old lawyer, and social activist, who sought intervention for filing up all sanctioned posts in government hospitals in the districts and creating new posts as per requirement.

On February 15, the HC had sought an action taken report on filling up of all sanctioned posts in government hospitals in the districts within six months and creating new posts as per requirement within a year.

In an affidavit, commissioner-cum-secretary of health and family welfare department, Shalini Pandit, said under the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre 8,213 medical officers are employed in different government hospitals against a sanctioned strength of 10,774.

As per the posts under Odisha Medical Education Service (OMES) cadre, 1,232 medical officers - assistant professors, associate professors and professors - are in position in all the government medical colleges against a sanctioned strength of 1,571.

However, Pandit said government orders have been obtained for creation of 5,000 posts of medical officers in the rank of Group A (junior branch). "Requisites for filling up the said posts will be submitted to the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) after completion of posting of the newly recruited medical officers," Pandit said, adding, "The whole process of recruitment is targeted to be completed by October 2023."

For filling up the vacancies under the OMHS cadre, requirements were sent to OPSC for recruitment of 3,481 medical officers. The OPSC had selected and recommended a list of 1,205 candidates on November 23, 2022. "After obtaining government order they will be posted in various health institutions of the state," Pandit said.