Bhubaneswar: Odisha is reeling under an acute shortage of doctors, with nearly 60% of sanctioned posts remaining vacant, severely impacting healthcare delivery, especially in rural and tribal areas.
Replying to a question in the State Assembly, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling revealed that out of 15,774 sanctioned doctor posts, a staggering 9,503 are lying vacant.
At present, only 6,271 doctors are in service across government health facilities; of these, 5,003 are regular employees while 1,135 are working on contractual basis.
The minister informed the House that the government has already requested the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to initiate recruitment for 5,248 vacant posts on an urgent basis.