Archive · 6 Jan 2026
Odisha Doctors Protest Staff Shortages with OPD Shutdowns
Doctors in Odisha are very upset because there are not enough doctors working in government hospitals.
More than half of the doctor jobs are empty, which means the doctors who are working have to do extra work.
To protest, they are closing the places where people go for regular check-ups (called OPDs) for two hours every day from 9 am to 11 am.
They started this protest a while ago, and now they are doing it for two hours instead of one.
The government says they are looking into the doctors' demands, but the doctors don't trust these talks and want the chief minister to help solve the problem.
The doctors say that even though they are protesting, they will still help people who need emergency care or are already in the hospital.
Doctors in Odisha protested staff shortages by shutting down OPDs for two hours daily (9 am to 11 am).
The protest, led by the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA), began on November 20 and escalated on December 26.
Over 50% of government doctor posts in Odisha are vacant, creating additional pressure on existing doctors.
The government has formed an inter-departmental committee to examine the doctors' demands, but the doctors express distrust in the process.
Emergency services, inpatient care, and surgeries remain unaffected by the protest.
- Who
- Doctors of the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA)
- What
- Protest over staff shortages and unmet demands, leading to OPD shutdowns
- When
- Protest ongoing since November 20, 2023; two-hour daily OPD shutdowns starting December 26, 2023
- Where
- Government-run hospitals across Odisha
- Why
- To demand filling of vacant posts and implementation of a 10-point charter of demands
Doctors
Government
Committee Formation
Doctors
Doctors express distrust in the government's inter-departmental committee, citing past inaction by a similar committee under the previous government.
Government
The government has formed an inter-departmental committee to examine the doctors' demands, asserting that their concerns are being sympathetically considered.
- Protest Duration
- Two hours daily (9 am to 11 am)
- Protest Start Date
- November 20, 2023
- Government Doctors in Odisha
- 6,000+
- Sanctioned Doctor Strength
- 15,776
- Vacant Posts Percentage
- Over 50%
- Services Affected
- Outpatient departments (OPDs)
- Services Unaffected
- Emergency, inpatient care, surgeries
- Government Response
- Inter-departmental committee formed to examine demands
