Jagatsinghpur: Healthcare services in Jagatsinghpur district have gone for a toss as 234 posts of doctors out of sanctioned 385 are lying vacant in various hospitals of the coastal district. Similarly, out of 718 sanctioned posts of nursing officers 472 are vacant. The numerous vacancies have often sparked outrage among the residents but are yet to be filled up. Locals have warned of an agitation if the vacant posts are not filled up soon. What is more surprising is that the post of Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) has been vacant for more than a month, but no step has been taken to fill the vacancy. The sorry state of healthcare in the district is not limited to the inadequacy of doctors and nursing officers as many other posts of healthcare personnel are also lying vacant.
Sources said 25 out of 69 sanctioned posts of pharmacists, 21 out of 44 sanctioned posts of laboratory technicians and five out of 12 sanctioned posts of radiographers are vacant. Similarly, the district has vacancies in 91 out of 258 sanctioned posts of multi-purpose health workers (MPHW-Women), 40 out of 142 sanctioned posts of MPHW (Men), and 23 out of 99 sanctioned posts of Group-D employees. A quick visit to the district headquarters hospital will reveal the actual healthcare scenario in the district. The district headquarters hospital has a total of 400 beds including that in the mother and child health centres. The hospital has 123 sanctioned posts of doctors, out of which 81 posts are still lying vacant. Similarly, there are vacancies in 159 out of 211 sanctioned posts of nursing officers, two out of seven sanctioned posts of pharmacists, three out of six sanctioned posts of radiographers, two out of six sanctioned posts of MPHW (Women), three out of four MPHW (Men) and three out six sanctioned posts of Group-D posts.
Moreover, 19 out of a total 33 posts of district medical officer (medical services)-cum-superintendent, additional district public health officer (VBD), additional district public health officer (leprosy), additional district public health officer (disease control), paediatric consultant, senior consultant, medicine, orthopaedic consultant, skin and VD consultant, psychiatric consultant, three GDMO, BBO have been filled up while 14 posts are lying vacant. Residents alleged that proper healthcare services are not available even in the district headquarters hospital, let alone other small hospitals of the district. Patients have to wait for a long time at the outdoor units to get checked by the doctors. The wait further gets longer if the doctor arrives late in the hospital.
Majority of the times non-serious patients are referred to Cuttack even without primary treatment at the district headquarters hospital while some of the doctors allegedly try to refer patients to nursing homes or private hospitals, locals alleged. Efforts to contact the CDMO (in-charge) over phone for his version on the issue failed as he did not responded to the call of this correspondent.