Sundargarh, Oct 26: Highlighting the critical shortage of healthcare staff in Odisha, an incident in Sundargarh district showcased the dire state of healthcare services in the state. At a community health centre (CHC) in Rajgangpur, doctors were overwhelmed by a surge in patients, some having worked round the clock for three days due to colleagues being on leave.

On a Wednesday, approximately 200 patients had to leave without medical assistance as the doctors couldn't accommodate more cases. The following Thursday morning, patients returned to the CHC, only to find no doctors available. In the midst of this chaos, MLA CS Raazen Ekka, who also holds a medical degree, learned of the situation and arrived at the CHC. In a viral video, Ekka was seen taking on the role of a doctor, prescribing medications and providing services to nearly a hundred patients since 8 am.

This incident not only exposed the critical issue of staff shortages in government hospitals but also revealed that the CHC, with a sanctioned strength of 14 doctors, only had nine on staff.

While MLA Ekka received praise from various quarters for his humanitarian act, the chief medical officer, Dr. Dharaniranjan Satpathy, refuted claims of doctor absence at the CHC. He acknowledged that some doctors were on leave but stated that others were on duty. The sudden influx of patients overwhelmed the available doctors, prompting MLA Ekka, a doctor himself, to step in and provide assistance. Dr. Satpathy expressed gratitude for Ekka's noble gesture.

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