Odisha To Be Doctor-Surplus State From Next Year, Says Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said Odisha will be a doctor-surplus state from next year.

Speaking at a ‘Nijukti Parva’ function at Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar where 1,205 new medical officers joined the state government, the chief minister said this is a huge addition at one go to the existing strength of doctors in state and will certainly strengthen healthcare in government hospitals and further improve patient satisfaction. He expected them to serve people with sincerity and empathy.

“Every life is precious for us. Following this principle, we have opened 8 new medical colleges and 2 new post-graduate institutes in the past six years. This has resulted in the production of 2200 MBBS doctors and 826 specialists each year,” he added.

Naveen further said, “Bringing in consistence in recruitment process, we have appointed about 4500 Medical Officers in the last four years. As part of the initiative to transform health systems in the state, an additional 5,000 posts of Medical Officers have recently been created. Recruitment to these posts will be undertaken shortly.”

“I am happy to say that by December 2023, all MBBS vacancies in the state will be filled up and Odisha will be a doctor-surplus state from next year onwards,” he added.

Recalling the train accident in Balasore, the Chief Minister said, “I am proud of my people. I am proud of Odisha.”

“Everyone is aware of the train tragedy in Balasore that shook the nation, even the world. It’s a time of immense grief and sorrow. But this accident has proved the strength of Odisha, its ability to rise up to the expectation during the time of crisis,” he added.

He further said, “We have succeeded in cyclone management with a long term strategy, COVID management with a medium term strategy, and now in this case, we have proved that we are equally capable in managing such a sudden crisis requiring instant action.”

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Niranjan Pujari outlined the steps taken by the government to improve health infrastructure. Chief Secretary PK Jena, Health Secretary Shalini Pandit and secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian also spoke.