Bhubaneswar, December 8: Odisha's government-run hospitals are facing a severe shortage of medical staff, with around 60% of sanctioned doctor positions unfilled, as reported by Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling in the Assembly on Monday.
The state currently has 15,774 sanctioned doctor posts, of which a staggering 9,503 remain vacant. Presently, 6,271 doctors are serving in government health facilities across the state, including 5,003 regular doctors, 1,135 contractual doctors, 19 ad-hoc doctors, 110 under District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funding, and 4 funded through the corpus fund.
To tackle this critical shortage, the state government has urged the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to fast-track the recruitment process for the 5,248 vacant positions.
Additionally, the state’s medical education infrastructure has been bolstered with the recent opening of two new government medical colleges in Phulbani and Talcher, bringing the total number of government medical colleges in Odisha to 14.
