post news network
New Delhi, July 22: Orissa which has been recently in the news for dengue deaths, jaundice and malnourishment has a reason to introspect over shortage of qualified doctors and paramedic staff in the hospitals to tackle health care in the state.
According to the Centre, when it comes to producing qualified doctors every year through recognised medical colleges, Orissa ranks 17th position while many developed states having numerous medical colleges produce more qualified doctors annually.
According to official sources, there are 59,883 MBBS seats in 439 medical colleges in the country. Data analysis from the all-India figures suggests that Orissa contributes merely two per cent of doctors who pass every year from across the country. Minister of state (health and family welfare) Faggan Singh Kulaste gave these figures in a written reply to the Lok Sabha Friday.
If data is to be believed, Orissa with its eight medical colleges produces 1,250 doctors every year while most of the south Indian states seem to produce more number of doctors per annum. Karnataka which produces 7,795 doctors through its 53 medical colleges ranks number one, followed by Maharashtra with 6,920 doctors through its 50 medical colleges.
Neigbouring states like West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh produce more doctors than Orissa does as the state has been plagued by problems such as anaemia, malaria and infant mortality rate (IMR) among others.
The state government, meanwhile, is learnt to have proposed several incentives for doctors and paramedics who are keen on working in tribal, KBK and KBK-plus areas while the government has been working towards reducing IMR. MPs from the state have been pitching for establishment of more medical colleges in the state and improvement in infrastructure in the existing medical colleges.
