Residents plead with Collector to fill doctor vacancies at Kantamal CHC in Odisha’s Boudh

In a rare and emotional incident, local residents of Kantamal in Odisha’s Boudh district reportedly fell at the feet of the District Collector, urging him to fill vacant doctor posts at the Kantamal Community Health Centre (CHC).

The Kantamal CHC, located in the predominantly tribal district of Boudh, has been allegedly facing an acute shortage of doctors for a long period. Due to the lack of medical staff, residents are reportedly forced to travel to the district headquarters hospital in Subarnapur or to hospitals outside the district even for minor ailments, causing severe hardship to patients and their families.

Locals alleged they had repeatedly raised demands for the appointment of doctors at the CHC, but alleged inaction by the authorities led to growing public resentment. With no response forthcoming, a few residents resorted to the extreme step of falling at the Collector’s feet to draw attention to their plight.

On Tuesday, residents also took out a procession and reached the block office to press their demands. As the District Collector arrived at the venue for a joint public grievance hearing camp, the protesters submitted their grievances and urged immediate intervention.

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The protesters warned that if doctors and specialist services are not provided at the Kantamal CHC at the earliest, they would intensify their agitation in the coming days.

Meanwhile, no immediate response was available from the district administration regarding the demands.