Odisha government moots exit policy for KBK doctors

BHUBANESWAR: To retain doctors in the backward Koraput, Balangir and Kalahandi (KBK) and the tribal hinterland, the government is set to come out with a novel initiative soon. The 'exit policy' as it is called will ensure fixed tenure for doctors in rural belt.
The 'catch' is medicos will be relieved automatically from rural postings after the stint.
Now, physicians, posted in the difficult areas, willy-nilly continue there for years together. The government zeroed in on this plan after experimenting with a number of incentive-based policies.
The idea is to breathe a new lease of life into the vacancy-hit healthcare sector. The policy will be as attractive as it will be timely. It could not have been mooted at a better time since acute staff crunch has crippled the hospitals across the state.
When contacted, health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said, "We are examining the proposal. Doctors working in vulnerable pockets will have a fixed tenure of two years. After the rural stint, they will be automatically relieved and another set of doctors sent." He exuded confidence that the policy would click.
Health secretary Arti Ahuja said, "The policy would ensure quick rotation of doctors."
President, Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA), an umbrella body of government doctors, Nirakara Bhatta said, "We had suggested it to the government five years ago. The policy will work if the government takes OMSA into confidence."
There should be fixed tenure for rural postings, he added.
Vacancies are the bane of state-run hospitals. At least 30% medic posts are vacant in the state, according to a government estimate.
Atanu told the assembly recently that there were 67% vacancy in Malkangiri and 61.72% in Nabarangpur. More than 50% posts are vacant in Deogarh, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Boudh and Jharsuguda. Around 3,355 doctors are working against the sanctioned strength of 4,842, he had said.
The health and family welfare department runs around 1,200 primary health centres, 377 community health centres, 27 sub-divisional hospitals, 30 district headquarters hospitals, besides the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and the IGH Hospital in Rourkela.
The government in April had decided to provide incentives for physicians working in the remotest areas.