Sambalpur: Doctor shortage in Vimsar with 1 Doctor in 4 Super Specialty Department

Burla: There is now a doctor crisis in many departments of Burla Vimsar. This problem is particularly acute in the super specialty segment. From 1980, there were only 5 super specialty sections and later 5 sections were added to 10 super specialties. However, the recruitment of qualified doctors has now emerged as a major problem.

The Department of Urology is headed by Associate Professor Sanjay Mohapatra. There is only one experienced doctor in each of the 4 super-specialty departments. There should be at least one professor, one associate professor, one assistant professor, and 2 SRs in each department, as one doctor handles both external and internal surgery patients. There is a complaint of being overwhelmed by work pressure. Also, as they are experienced doctors and are working on contract in Vimsar, they are looking to leave Vimsar and join elsewhere if they get a good job. Neither the government nor the Vimsar authorities are taking any steps to make these doctors permanent. Vimsar authorities transferred many SRs last September without selecting or appointing new senior resident doctors (SRs), resulting in a doctor crisis in several departments of Vimsar.

There are plans to open departments such as Gastro-Entrology, Endocrinology, Clinical Hematology, Pediatric Surgery, etc, but to date, the selection process of doctors has not been started by the state government or Vimsar authority. The Super Specialty Hospital, which was started in 2017, is expected to be completed and operational within a few days, and the doctor crisis in the Super Specialty Departments is now raising concerns. If steps are not taken to recruit new and competent doctors, there is talk of temporary doctors working here moving elsewhere. As a result, there is a risk that the super specialty departments will become less experienced doctors.