Bhubaneswar: A total of 9,633 Medical Officer posts remain vacant across the state, Health & Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling informed the state assembly on Monday.
The Minister also stated that the doctor-to-population ratio in Odisha stands at 1:1735, which falls short of the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of 1:1000.
In a written reply to a question by Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain, Dr. Mahaling revealed that the sanctioned strength for Medical Officers in the state is 15,774. However, 9,633 of these posts remain unfilled. Additionally, there are 4,880 vacant posts for Assistant Professors out of the same sanctioned strength of 15,774.
To address these vacancies, the Minister confirmed that recruitment will proceed through multiple channels, including the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), departmental promotions, contractual engagements, and funding from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF).
He also noted that efforts are underway to fill Specialist positions once Medical Officers return from higher studies and Senior Residency (SR).
Dr. Mahaling further stated that Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers (CDM & PHOs) have been authorised to appoint doctors on a contractual basis against the vacant Medical Officer positions.
Currently, 877 contractual doctors have been deployed in the state’s worst-affected and tribal/remote districts to mitigate healthcare challenges.
The Minister added that a formal request has been sent to the OPSC (Department Letter No. 4579 dated 12.02.2025) to initiate recruitment for 5,248 Medical Officer posts this year.
The recruitment process is ongoing and once the OPSC submits its recommendations, steps will be taken to deploy new doctors across Odisha.
