Healthcare services at the community health centre (CHC) in Salepur of Cuttack district have once again come under severe strain due to an acute shortage of doctors, leaving thousands of patients struggling for treatment and triggering fresh anger among locals, sources said on Tuesday.

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Long queues of patients, including those requiring emergency medical attention, were seen waiting for hours at the hospital as only a handful of doctors remain available to manage the massive patient load. The Salepur CHC caters to more than three lakh people, but residents allege healthcare services have collapsed because of inadequate staffing.

According to sources, the hospital requires at least 22 doctors for the main health centre and five additional doctors for its sub-centres. However, only four regular doctors and three contractual doctors are currently serving at the facility. Due to the shortage, patients are allegedly facing serious inconvenience, while treatment and emergency services are being badly affected.

Locals said this is not the first time that the issue has surfaced. Last year, massive protests erupted in the area over the same problem. Following severe public outrage, the district administration had intervened, and some doctors were temporarily appointed. The District Collector had personally visited the hospital and heard public grievances.

However, residents claim the situation has returned to square one after several doctors reportedly left within a short period. In some sub-centres, pharmacists are allegedly attending patients in the absence of qualified doctors.

The Medical Officer of the hospital said the issue has already been brought to the notice of higher authorities. Meanwhile, the district administration has assured that doctors will be posted to Salepur once new appointments are made in the district.

Angry locals have warned of intensifying their protests if adequate doctors are not deployed immediately, saying public healthcare in the region is on the verge of collapse.

“Government has a policy for that. Whichever MBBS doctors come, they will be given priority for post-graduation. So, whatever came, we gave the highest number of doctors to Salepur CHC. After that, three more doctors were later provided to the health facility. But then many doctors went for PG. Now, when new doctors arrive, Salepur will be given doctors in the new lot,” the district Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said while speaking to mediapersons.