Odisha will be a doctor-surplus state from next year :Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: 6/6/23: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.

Recalling the train accident, the Chief Minister said that 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 exuded confidence.

He then said, “It has manifested the compassion and humanity of the people of Odisha. Doctors, medical students, general public….all had one thing in mind…. Let’s save life… as many as we can. And we have saved more than a thousand lives. People providing support to rescue operations, the long queues for blood donation are sights rare but invaluable. I am proud of my people. I am proud of Odisha.”

“Now coming to administration”, he said, “I must say that the state administration came into action mode the very moment the news came around. Ministers, top officers, supporting staff…..all were at the site of accident and health centres, making arrangements and monitoring the rescue and treatment operations.”

Transparency, Technology, Team-work, Time and Transformation all were in absolute display. This is our 5T initiative. This is transformation; he summed up his transformative governance.

He further said that 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.

Congratulating the new Medical Officers, he said that this is a huge addition at one go to the existing strength of doctors in state and added that this will certainly strengthen healthcare in government hospitals and further improve patient satisfaction. He expected them to serve people with sincerity and empathy.

Saying that, ‘Every Life is Precious’for us, he informed that 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.

He further said that bringing in consistence in recruitment process, we have appointed about 4500 Medical Officers in last four years. As part of the initiative to transform health systems in the State, an additional 5000 posts of Medical Officers have recently been created. Recruitment to these posts will be undertaken shortly. I am happy to reiterate that by December 2023, all MBBS vacancies in the State will be filled up. Odisha will be a doctor-surplus State from next year onwards, he added.

Speaking on the state’s flagship Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, he said that it is a very popular scheme which provides quality healthcare in reputed private hospitals across the country. This is certainly providing a great succour to poor people who face distress in diseases. We are spending about Rs 225 Crore every month providing treatment to over one lakh people, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Niranjan Pujari described the efforts taken by the Government to improve health infrastructure in the State. He said that the CM’s vision that every life is precious has changed the health scenario of the state.

Three new medical officers Snigdhamayee Panda, Muktiranjan Mallick and Sharmila Sahu shared their experiences on the recruitment process. They said that the process was absolutely transparent and everything was done on time. Appreciating the 5-T initiative, they promised to serve people with all earnestness.

Minister Health and family welfare Sri Niranjan pujari in his address spoke about various schemes implemented by health dept and advised the new doctors to work for the success of Sustha Odisha Sukhi Odisha Motto of chief minster.

Chief Secretary PK Jena was also present on the occasion.Interacting with the new medicos, Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian said that Nijukti Parva is a celebration of their success and the sacrifice they have made to reach this point in life. He spoke about the transformation the state has undergone since the year 2000 and how Odisha is coming out successful in every challenge it has faced. Saying that the Chief Minister has always emphasized on ‘Every Life is Precious’, he added that doctors are the flag bearers of this motto. They should work with all the dedication to save every life in their profession, he advised.

Health Secretary Shalini Pandit spoke about the Government’s initiatives in health education and recruitment in her welcome address.Director Health proposed vote of thanks .At the outset one minute silence was observed in memory of victims of Bahanaga train tragedy.