Over 74% Specialist Doctor Posts Vacant in Odisha’s Community Health Centres

GG News Bureau
Bhubaneswar, 3rd Dec. Odisha’s Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the assembly on Monday that over 74% of specialist doctor posts remain vacant in the state’s community health centres (CHCs). Out of 1,500 sanctioned specialist posts in 375 CHCs, only 386 are filled, Mahaling said in response to a question raised by BJD MLA Prasanta Behera.

He highlighted that some districts have particularly high vacancies. In Deogarh, only one specialist doctor is serving, although 16 positions have been sanctioned. Similarly, in Rayagada, 44 specialist positions exist but only three doctors are in service. Other districts such as Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Sundargarh, and Bargarh also face significant shortages in specialist doctors.

In total, 5,014 (64%) of 7,806 sanctioned doctor posts in CHCs remain vacant across Odisha, with districts like Ganjam and Mayurbhanj seeing 450 and 309 vacancies respectively. The government is taking steps to fill these positions through recruitment by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), departmental promotions, and by hiring post-graduate doctors returning to service.