Odisha to fill 1.5 lakh government vacancies; recruit over 5,000 health care staff

The Odisha government is planning to fill nearly 1.5 lakh vacant government posts over the next five years, with a special focus on strengthening the healthcare sector. As part of this drive, over 5,000 doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff will be recruited in 2025 alone.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling confirmed the recruitment plan at the CII-Odisha Healthcare Summit 2025 in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Notably, the announcement comes amid growing concerns over staffing shortages in public hospitals, where over 5,800 doctor posts reportedly remain vacant.

“In the past year, we have already recruited more than 4,000 healthcare workers. The upcoming wave of appointments will further support the state’s expanding medical infrastructure,” Mahaling said.

Nine New Medical Colleges to Strengthen Healthcare Access

To meet the rising demand for doctors and medical education, the state has approved the establishment of nine new medical colleges during the 2025–26 academic year.

These include four MBBS colleges in Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, and Nabarangpur districts, four dental colleges in Burla, Berhampur, Keonjhar, and Bolangir, and one Ayurvedic college in Mayurbhanj.

Two additional medical colleges in Talcher and Phulbani, each with an intake of 100 MBBS students, will commence operations this year. These initiatives, fully budgeted in the 2025–26 state plan, aim to bridge the doctor-patient ratio and expand healthcare access in underserved regions.

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Bhadrak district, in particular, is poised for a major transformation. Alongside a new government medical college and public university, the state has green-lit industrial projects worth over Rs 6,500 crore in the region.