More than 2,000 posts of doctors of various disciplines are lying vacant in the State. Around 40 per cent posts of the total requirement of doctors are unoccupied.
As per the population and geographical area of the State, while there is a requirement of total 6,315 doctors, there are only 4,842 sanctioned posts, of which 1,026 are vacant, informed Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak in a written reply to a question asked by Dilip Ray in the Assembly here on Friday.
The vacancy includes 567 posts in various Government medical colleges in the State. In the SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, total 202 posts of professor, associate professor, assistant professor and senior resident are unoccupied while 185 posts in the Maharaja Krushnachandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital, Brahmapur, 161 in VIMSAR, Burla, 11 in the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC) and eight in the SCB Dental College are vacant. Highest number of assistant professor posts is vacant in all the five medical colleges.
Besides, while the State has sanctioned posts of 689 Ayurvedic and 595 Homeopathy medical officers, 199 and 272 posts of them are vacant, respectively.
The Government homeopathic and ayurvedic colleges are also reeling under the same problem. A total of 192 posts of professor, lecturer, reader and principal are vacant in homeopathic and ayurvedic colleges in the State.
Ray demanded creation of additional 1,500 medical officer posts as per the requirement of the State and filling up of 2,500 doctor posts on priority basis. He also demanded recruitment of 1,200 teaching posts for all the medical, dental, ayurvedic and homeopathic colleges.