Odisha News: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Dec 2: The Odisha government will initiate action against 196 absentee doctors across various medical cadres, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the Assembly on Monday.
Responding to a query by MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, the Minister said the doctors belong to the OMHS (Odisha Medical Health Service), OMES (Odisha Medical Education Service), and OHMS (Odisha Homeopathic Medical Service) cadres and have been on extended unauthorized leave.
In July, show-cause notices were issued to seven doctors from MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for prolonged absence. Among them, three were missing for over five years, while the remaining four had been absent for one to three years.
In response to a separate question by BJD MLA Prashant Behera, Mahaling revealed that 5,014 posts, including 1,114 specialist positions, are currently vacant across the state’s 375 community health centres. Ganjam district tops the list with 450 vacancies, followed by Mayurbhanj (309), Cuttack (281), and Khurda (12). Mayurbhanj also has the highest number of specialist vacancies at 87.
The Minister assured the Assembly of the government’s commitment to addressing the healthcare staffing crisis.
