withdrawl of seats created tension

Wide spread tension mounted among the locals following the decision of the Medical Council of India to withdraw additional 43 seats allotted to the VSS Medical college of Burla from the current academic year. Shortage of teaching faculty and non-utilization of medical equipments lying in the college were cited in the council’s letter addressed to the principal of the institution as the reasons behind the withdrawn of the seats.
Blaming state government’s constant apathetic attitude on the institution that led the MCI to take such a decision, locals demanded immediate steps to save the medical the institution. A delegation of eminent persons have even rushed to Bargarh, the home town of the state Health minister Prasanna Acharya to appeal him for an immediate action for the development of the institution. “we have urged the health minister to take the matter immediately to save the college hospital”, a member of the delegation team Narayan Pati told
Sources said, Veer Surendra Sai Medical College and hospital of Burla is the only Medical institution of its kind of the region where people from entire western Orissa and parts of Chhhatisgarh are coming for medical care. But over a past few years the college is facing acute shortage of teaching staff because of the apathetic attitude of the state government. Most of the sectioned posts are lying vacant for years. Few of the departments of the institution including cardiology, anatomy are run with only one or two junior lecturers. The patients coming to the medical college and hospital do not get proper health care due to the shortage of the treating staff.
Out of the total sanctioned 205 posts 64 posts are lying vacant since a long time. Surprisingly orthopedic, microbiology, forensic, physiology departments do have neither a professor nor an assistance professor. Out of the sanctioned 120 post of lecturers, the college is running with only 32 lecturers and rest are lying vacant. The institution is having 10 OT but none of these OT is maintained properly, sources said.
“Every one of the department knows about the precarious condition of the college and hospital. Even it was raised by the members of the MCI during their recent visit to the college. They had asked to improve the standard of the college and to fill up the vacant posts. But since it was not taken up immediately the MCI might have taken this decision on the report of the visiting members”, the superintendent of the college hospital Dr. GS Dash told.
Meanwhile coming down heavily on the state government, the Sambalpur MP Mr. Amar Pradhan accused the state government for the present condition of the college and hospital. Government did not take steps to improve the standard of the institution even after the remark of the MCI members during their visit. “This is nothing but a negligent attitude of the state government on the VSS medical College Hospital. The state Health minister should take immediate steps to improve the standard of the college”, Mr. Pradhan told

Irony of the fact is that leaders from western part of the state have become health minister in most of the occasions. Starting from veteran leader like Hemandan Biswal, Ghasiram Majhi, Praksh Chnadra Debta, Duryodhan Majhi, Snatan Bishi to present health minister Prasanna Acharya are from western part of the state. “But the fate of VSS Medical College and Hospital remained unchanged every time” eminent social activist Dilip Padhi told.