Brahmapur: MKCG Medical College and Hospital, one of the premier healthcare institutions in South Odisha, is facing an acute faculty crisis, with eight departments currently functioning without a single professor, according to reports.
The growing imbalance between transfers and appointments of senior medical faculty has triggered serious concerns over patient care, surgeries, and medical education.
Despite being a major referral hospital, nearly 20% of the sanctioned doctor posts remain vacant. Among the remaining, a significant number of doctors are either serving on contract, deputation, or under ad hoc arrangements. Departments without professors include ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat), Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS), Plastic Surgery, Medical Gastroenterology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), Emergency Medicine, and Physiology.
The PMR department is reportedly in the worst condition, with all three sanctioned posts—professor, associate professor, and assistant professor—lying vacant. The lack of faculty has severely impacted patient treatment, clinical training, and student education.
Emergency Medicine has only one assistant professor against three sanctioned posts. In Physiology, out of ten sanctioned positions (one professor, four associate professors, five assistant professors), only one associate and four assistant professors are currently serving.
In the Plastic Surgery department, despite having sanctioned posts for all faculty levels, no doctors are available. The ENT department is functioning without a professor, while the CTVS department, which recently resumed open-heart surgeries, also lacks a senior faculty member.
The Medical Gastroenterology department, established three years ago, is now operating without any professors, even though all required posts were initially sanctioned.
Recently, Dr. Durgamadhab Satapathy ,the only professor in Community Medicine, was appointed as Superintendent of MKCG, leaving that department without a professor as well.
MKCG currently has 250 MBBS seats and 36 departments, with over 100 PG seats and super-specialty courses like MCh and DM. The severe faculty shortage not only affects the quality of patient care but also raises concerns about the institution’s academic credibility.
Healthcare professionals and students alike have expressed alarm over the state of affairs, urging immediate intervention from the health department to fill the vacant positions and restore normalcy.