Odisha appoints 102 assistant professors in hospitals

Bhubaneswar, Nov 17 (PTI) As many as 102 people were on Friday appointed as assistant professors in the Odisha Medical Education Service at a programme held here in presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

They will join state-run medical colleges in various districts.

"You are in a profession that demands absolute commitment to the job. You need to create confidence among the patients and their relatives. Along with your professional skills, a human touch in your approach can do wonders," Patnaik told the newly appointed assistant professors.

He said the state government was building new, modern health infrastructure for providing quality healthcare in public health facilities as it was working towards "Sustha Odisha, Sukhi Odisha" (Healthy Odisha, Happy Odisha).

Under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), the government bears the entire cost of health services for all at state government hospitals.

"It is our responsibility to see that our patients get the best quality of care at our government medical college hospitals," he said.

In the past 6 years, the state has set up eight medical colleges and two postgraduate medical institutes.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Niranjan Pujari said the state is moving towards self-sufficiency in meeting the need for doctors and specialists.

While Odisha was producing only 321 MBBS doctors and 254 specialists per year in 2000, now it gets 2,525 MBBS doctors and 856 specialists annually, he said. PTI AAM NN