What is ailing health care?

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress on Monday walked out of the Assembly over the deteriorating health care facilities in the State. Making a statement on the admissibility of an adjournment motion notice on the issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty said, in the absence of Health Minister Prasanna Acharya, doctors had been appointed during the last three years to fill up vacancies. He said 408 and 311 doctors were appointed in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The Minister said the OPSC has brought out an advertisement for regular appointment of 750 more doctors. Special recruitment drive for appointment of 353 doctors, belonging to SC and ST categories, has started. Ad hoc appointment has been given to 590 doctors in 2010 and 2011 and the process is on for engagement of 153 more, he said. Stating that 863 beds have been increased in the three medical colleges and hospitals, the Minister said the daily allowance for food for patients has been increased from Rs 20 to Rs 50. Naba Kishore Das (Cong) said the state of health care in Government sector can be gauged from the fact that the Chief Minister had to be treated in the Apollo Hospitals instead of the Capital Hospital which is nearer to his home when he injured his leg last month. He alleged that health infrastructure has not improved despite spending hundreds of crores. His party colleagues Prafulla Majhi and Surendra Prasad Pramanik also came down heavily on the Government for the ‘non-existent’ health services in rural areas. Raising a point of order, Leader of BJP Legislature Party K V Singhdeo advised the Government to expedite setting up of the AIIMS near Bhubaneswar. Once the AIIMS starts operation, majority of problems in the health sector will be taken care of, he said. Referring to the delay in the establishment of a medical college at Balangir, Singhdeo said the party, to which Rs 10 crore was sanctioned from the WODC, had already left. He wanted to know what action the Government has taken to recover the money. He also wanted to know the progress of the proposed medical college in Kalahandi. The BJP leader said a proper system for disposal of medical waste should be put in place. Besides, he demanded setting up of a mental asylum by the Government in view of growing number of mental patients.