Odisha HC directs Govt to file affidavit over vacancies in medical colleges

Cuttack: Taking issue with the state government's present affidavit, the Odisha High Court has instructed the government to file an improved affidavit in line with a previous direction of the court regarding filling up all sanctioned posts in the state-run hospitals and medical colleges. 

The direction came forward after the court was dissatisfied with the affidavit presented by the government regarding vacancies in the posts of doctors, nursing officers, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and radiographers in government hospitals and medical colleges in the state.

Observing that the state government failed to follow the previous order while submitting the affidavit, a division bench of Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho have asked the state government to submit a better affidavit providing a clear road map complying with the court's earlier order. 

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In a reply to the affidavit submitted by the government on Wednesday, the petitioner pointed out that despite the court's order for granular details of positions in government hospitals, the state government failed to comply, TNIE reports.

The next hearing in this regard has been fixed for July 27.  

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that while taking up a motion about vacancies in government institutions, Odisha High Court observed that there are still almost 2,900 vacant posts for doctors in the different government hospitals, including medical college hospitals.

The high court was informed by the state government during a hearing about the measures taken by the state government to fill up vacant posts of doctors in the state. The court was informed that both under the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre and the Odisha Medical Education Service (OMES) cadre there remain many vacancies.

This came after a 72-year-old lawyer and social activist filed a PIL with the HC asking for its intervention in filling all approved positions at district government hospitals and creating new positions as needed.

On February 15, the HC requested a report on the steps that have already been implemented to fill all sanctioned positions in district government hospitals within six months and to create new positions as needed within a year.

According to an affidavit signed by Shalini Pandit, commissioner/secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, 8,213 medical officers are employed in various government hospitals under the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre though it has an approved strength of 10,774 medical officers.

According to the posts under the Odisha Medical Education Service (OMES) cadre, all the government medical colleges, 1,232 medical officers—assistant professors, associate professors, and professors—are in place despite a sanctioned strength of 1,571.

Pandit also claimed that 5,000 doctors will be recruited in the next six months.

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