BHUBANESWAR: In a major push to State’s rural health care, 1,038 doctors in the rank of Assistant Surgeons were handed over appointment letters by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday.They are set to join different primary and community health centres and District Headquarters Hospitals within a month.
The medical officers, who have been given appointments have qualified the OPSC Medical Officer Exams in December last year. Congratulating the doctors, the Chief Minister encouraged them to work hard and said health care improvement works as an anti-poverty measure.
The appointments are been seen as a step towards rejuvenating health care sector at the grassroots where the State is struggling with a shortfall of 5,771 doctors at CHC level and 1,276 doctors at PHC level.
"With quality health care remaining inaccessible to many at the grassroots, we must come forward to serve and improve medical service in rural pockets," said Dr Debabrata Nayak, an MBBS from MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, who has been given posting in a remote area of Chitrakonda block in Malkangiri district.
Dr Rosy Nayak, another MBBS pass out from KPC Medical College Kolkata, who received her appointment letter said she is keen to work with the government from a rural PHC or CHC and pursue PG simultaneously.
Special Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Ashok Kumar Nayak said the appointments will help the Government to strengthen health service facility in rural areas further as most of the Assistant Surgeons have opted to work in Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and other districts in the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) area of the State.
A total of 1,403 Medical Officers have been recruited in the Assistant Surgeon rank of which 1,038 were given appointment letters in the first phase. The remaining doctors will also be given appointment soon, he added.The Health and Family Welfare department conducted the induction programme in two phases on the day.