The Government Hospital of Sohela, a premier health institution in the Bargarh district, caters to the need of lakhs of people of the border blocks as well as neighbouring Chhatisgarh. Sadly, it is in a moribund stage, thanks to shortage of doctors and other staff.
The deplorable situation can be marked by the fact that the hospital is run by a single permanent doctor since a long time and all pleas with the authorities and local representatives to provide full manpower to the hospital have fallen on deaf ears.
The new PHCs at Ghees, Tabada, Birjam Kudopali, Sarkanda and Panimora villages refer their cases to the Sohela hospital.
The situation in all these village medicals is even worse as they are run by either a MBBS or an Ayurbedic (Ayush) doctor each. Moreover, these doctors have to come to Sohela as and when required to work there on part time basis, said Chief Medical Officer of Sohela Dr Ranjan Mohapatra.
Medicine, surgery, child and gynecology specialist posts are all vacant since years at Sohela. Consequently, the patients are deprived of proper healthcare. They are exploited by private clinics, on the other contrary.
Although there are two Ministers from Bargarh district in the Naveen Patnaik Government presently, the poor health service at Sohela has not attracted their attention as yet, it seems.