Healthcare / 380 Vacancies Across 60 Facilities: Puri’s Doctor Shortage In Numbers

Puri, Aug 22: Despite the Odisha government appointing more than 5,000 doctors across the state over the past two years, the shortage of medical staff continues to affect healthcare services in Puri district, with 380 of the 556 sanctioned doctor posts lying vacant across 60 government health facilities, according to official data.

The situation is particularly concerning at the Puri District Headquarters Hospital, where 87 of the 151 sanctioned doctor posts are vacant. Only 64 doctors are currently available to serve patients at the hospital.

According to Assembly data, 37,54,995 patients visited the Puri District Headquarters Hospital’s OPD during 2024-25, while 36,95,422 patients received treatment. Based on the available strength of 64 doctors, the patient load works out to more than 59,000 patients per doctor annually, or around 163 patients per doctor per day.

Doctor Shortage Across Puri
The shortage is not limited to the district headquarters hospital. Of the 556 sanctioned doctor posts across 60 hospitals and health facilities in Puri district, only 176 are currently filled.

The number of working doctors had stood at 195 around a year ago but has since declined to 176, further widening the gap between sanctioned and available manpower.

Several health facilities are facing acute shortages. All five sanctioned doctor posts at the five CHCs in Puri district are reportedly vacant. Pipili has 16 vacant posts, while Panidola has 18 and Mangalpur has 19 vacancies. Rebana Nuagaon also has several vacant positions.

Puri CDMO said the government is being informed about the vacancies every month.

Doctors Missing During Duty Hours?
Questions have also been raised over the availability of doctors during designated working hours.

A visit to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital reportedly found doctors unavailable in several departments during the second half of the day.

In some places, biometric attendance machines were found switched off, while in some places, doctors were reportedly absent from their respective departments.

The issue has raised questions over compliance with the biometric attendance system and the monitoring of doctors' attendance.

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Specialists Deployed Only During Rath Yatra
The shortage becomes particularly visible after the annual Rath Yatra, when additional specialist doctors and medical personnel are deployed in Puri to manage the massive influx of devotees.

However, once the festival period ends, the regular shortage of doctors, nurses and radiographers resurfaces.

With a large number of posts remaining vacant throughout the year, the Puri District Headquarters Hospital is increasingly functioning as a referral facility rather than providing comprehensive treatment to the district's growing patient population.