CUTTACK: Large number of vacancies in the posts of doctors in different state-run hospitals and three medical colleges has affected the healthcare delivery system in the state.As many as 2,173 posts of assistant surgeons and 195 specialists are lying vacant in the district headquarters hospitals. Similarly, 38 posts of professors, 77 posts of associate professors and 204 post of assistant professors are vacant in the three medical colleges and dental college.The state government has asked the Odisha Public Service Commission to recruit 1,950 medical officers. The state government is also trying to fill up vacant posts of specialists at district headquarters hospitals through promotion.The facts became evident from affidavits filed in the Orissa high court recently in response to a PIL seeking judicial intervention to protect the public healthcare system from private operators. Social activist and lawyer Chittaranjan Mohanty filed the petition alleging that sanctioned posts of doctors in district headquarters hospitals and medical colleges were not being filled up to serve the interest of private nursing homes and clinics.In reply, the special secretary (health and family welfare department) Nrushinghananda Brahma said the government had asked the OPSC to fill up the assistant surgeons’ posts and the commission had recommended 483 candidates for posting. The affidavit stated that 478 candidates recommended by OPSC have been posted as medical officers in 30 districts, but 64 have not joined.The departmental promotion committee has selected and recommended for promotion and filling up posts of 13 professors and 15 associate professors in the medical colleges. OPSC has also been requested to fill up 12 posts of super-specialty discipline assistant professors and 100 posts of specialty discipline assistant professors, Brahma claimed in the affidavit presented when the case came up on January 10.The division bench of Chief Justice K S Jhaveri and Justice K R Mohapatra has set January 21 to take up hearing on the matter along with response from OPSC.The affidavits filed by Brahma indicate that the state government has pinned its hopes on pass outs from the four medical colleges set up at Baripada, Balasore, Balangir and Koraput in addition to the medical colleges at Cuttack , Burla and Berhampur, to fill up the vacancies.The four new medical colleges will produce 400 MBBS doctors every year. Three private medical colleges are also functioning in the state. Two more government medical colleges are in the pipeline so that in the future the vacancies can be filled up, the officer said in one of his affidavits.

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