NABARANGPUR: Large-scale vacancies in doctor and specialist posts for the last five years here mock the State Government claims of providing better health services in tribal-dominated backward areas. There have been agitations over the issue, but in vain with the Government turning a deaf ear.The district has a headquarters hospital, one area hospital at Umerkote and 10 community health centres (CHCs) besides 37 primary health centres (PHCs) to cater to 13 lakh population. While the sanctioned doctor and specialist posts are 117 for the district hospital, Umerkote area hospital and 10 CHCs, there are just 40 doctors to manage the show.The CDMO post has been lying vacant for the last one month and of the three sanctioned ADMO posts, two are vacant. The District Medical Officer (DMO) post too has been lying vacant for a long time.At the district headquarters hospital, five specialist posts in the rank of joint director and 11 class-I senior specialist posts have been lying vacant for a long time now. Key posts in the departments such as medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, skin, anaesthesia, pathology, gynaecology, ophthalmology, ENT, TB and radiology too are lying vacant. Although lakhs of rupees are being pumped into the district under the NRHM for development of healthcare services, in the absence of doctors these funds are going down the drain. While both the Central and State governments are giving priority to institutional delivery to bring down IMR and MMR, paediatrician and gynaecologist posts in all the CHCs are lying vacant. MP Pradeep Majhi blamed the State Government for the deteriorating health services in the district. He alleged that a number of health centres are being run by health staff in the absence of doctors.
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