Sambalpur: Doctor Shortage Crisis at Burla Vimsar Hospital

Sambalpur: Vir Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla has been a victim of extreme neglect by the government. As a result, the quality of the hospital is gradually decreasing, and medical services are also declining. The hospital claims everything is back to normal and says nothing will go wrong. However, the doctor crisis at Vimsar Hospital, known as the heart center of Western Odisha, has become acute in the healthcare field.

Now, when elections are in full swing, the hospital administration is unable to find a way to systematize the number of doctor sheets at Vimsar. Even if any new department opens at Vimsar, doctors do not show interest in joining. Instead, they are giving priority to going to Cuttack and Berhampur Medical Centers, which is definitely a shame for Vimsar. Because at Vimsar, the hospital treatment system is deteriorating under the contract doctor-based system.

According to the information, there is only one permanent professor out of 16 posts in the Radiodiagnosis Department at Vimsar, and he is going to retire on the 31st. Somehow, 3 contract assistant professors are running the work. In this department, X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, mammograms, and endoscopic examinations are done, and reports are made for the specialist doctors. It is then possible for the departmental doctors to treat the patients. But by the end of the elections this month, the department will be void of a permanent doctor.

Meanwhile, the Neurology department is also run by a single contract assistant professor. Four permanent posts are vacant in this department as well. Every day, 100 to 200 patients come to the department for treatment. Similarly, in the Nephrology Department, a contract assistant professor has been posted and continues to treat patients.

There are only four assistant professors in the Medicine Department, and six permanent assistant professor posts are vacant. Only contractual assistant professors are available. Additionally, there are only 3 out of 12 senior resident doctor posts filled in the Surgery (Shalya) department. There is no senior resident physician in critical trauma care or emergency medicine. On the other hand, there is only one senior resident doctor in the Aspashyalya department. There is a shortage of senior resident doctors in the insurance sector.

Even due to the shortage of doctors, there is a problem in providing the patients with the best treatment. The state government’s gross negligence has left Vimsar Hospital in a state of disrepair. On the other hand, in such cases, questions have been raised about how the National Medical Council will take positive steps to increase the quality of healthcare services.

It is mentioned that doctors are interested in joining Cuttack SCB and Berhampur MCG, while not interested in joining the doctor-related positions at Vimsar. In such a situation, now the fight to make Burla Vimsar better has become a topic of discussion among the local and Vimsar doctors.

However, there is a demand in the local community that the government should not show such a careless attitude towards this 60-year-old medical center and provide proper facilities.