Balasore: Healthcare has gone for a toss in Balasore district with more than half of the positions lying vacant in the Balasore district headquarters hospital (DHH) here. There are also some other state-run hospitals in the district that do not have adequate number of doctors. As a result patients have to shell out huge sums while undergoing treatment at private hospitals. The outbreak of COVID-19 has also increased the woes of the residents of the district.
The situation has not changed even after establishment of Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital (FMMCH) in the district, two years back.
Also read: Healthcare goes for a toss in absence of doctors
There are 373 sanctioned posts of doctor in Balasore district. However, only 183 vacancies have been filled up. The remaining 190 posts have not been filled up for a substantial period of time. One hundred and forty six posts for doctors are lying vacant in state-run hospitals of the district while 44 positions are yet to be filled up in the DHH. The departments that do not have doctors in the DHH are X-Ray, Leprosy, ENT, Anesthesiology, Surgery, Orthopedics and Blood bank.
There are also vacancies in posts like medical officer (Prison and Reserve Police Barrack). The Balasore Municipality also doesn’t have a medical officer. Eight sanctioned posts of senior medical officer and 22 sanctioned posts of general duty medical officer (Health Department) have not been allegedly filled up for the past several years.
Super-speciality facilities are not available at the FMMCH, since the hospital was established. Previously, dean of the college Dr Pratap Rath was looking after neurosurgery patients. However, he retired in January this year and the post is still lying vacant,.
Similarly, super-speciality departments like cardiology, nephrology, pediatric and surgery have not yet started at the FMMCH. As a result, most patients of Balasore district are forced to travel to hospitals in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar for treatment.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, at an average more than 40 patients were being referred by the DHH daily to other hospitals outside the district. Now with the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients has decreased at the DHH. Hence the referral cases have come down to approximately 25 per day.
On being contacted, Balasore chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dulalsen Jagadev said, “We are facing problems in treating local patients. So we have sought approval in writing from Health Department high-ups for allowing us to fill up existing vacancies.”
PNN