The government healthcare facilities in Odisha are struggling with acute shortage of hospital beds with the availability of only 36 per cent beds as against the required numbers, according to an audit report compiled by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

Against the requirement of 91,392 hospital beds, as per the National Health Policy- 2017, only 32,767 beds (64 percent shortage) were available in the State.

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There were 42 per cent and 49 per cent shortages of beds in the DHHs and CHCs of the State, respectively, as compared to Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS) norms.

With regard to provision quarters to medical staff, only 312 (25 per cent) staff quarters were available for 1,269 staff in seven test-checked District Headquarters Hospitals.

This apart, 312 (25 per cent) staff quarters were available for 1,269 staff. Only 272 staff quarters (14 per cent) were available for 1,919 teaching and nonteaching staff in two test-checked Medical College Hospitals.

Similarly, hostel accommodation facilities for students, in two test-checked Medical College Hospitals, were insufficient, due to which, the students were constrained to stay in the staff quarters and unsafe buildings, the CAG found.

There was a short supply of 53 per cent of the indented quantity of essential drugs and medical consumables to public health facilities, during 2016-17 to 2021-22 fiscal.

As many as 6.07 crore units of essential drugs, valued Rs 11.68 crore, had expired during 2016-17 to 2021-22 fiscal, the audit also found.

In test- checked District Headquarters Hospitals (DHHs), the shortfall in equipment ranged from 47 per cent to 57 per cent, compared to the Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS) norms.

Equipment and medical devices were lying idle in hospitals, due to non-provisioning of the required infrastructure and manpower.

Execution of 456 works, approved during 2016-17 to 2019-20 fiscals, by the National Health Mission in the State had not been completed, even after two to five years of approval, though Rs 165.95 crore had been incurred on these works.

Allocation of funds for the health sector ranged between 4.69 per cent and 5.86 per cent of the State budget against eight per cent envisaged in the National Health Policy (NHP), 2017 by 2020.

The State had received Rs 8,986.60 crore, under the National Health Mission (NHM) during FYs 2017-18 to 2021-22 fiscal, for implementation of various programmes.

Against this, Rs 8,256.09 crore was spent, leaving an unspent balance of Rs 1,165.67 crore, as on 31 March 2022.

Implementation of the disease control programmes in the State, under NHM, suffered due to inadequate manpower, low spending efficiency etc., impacting programme outcomes adversely.

Only nine to 20 per cent of the available funds under the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly were utilised, during 2016-17 to 2021-22 fiscal.

Dedicated geriatric wards for treatment of the elderly people were not available in five of the seven test-checked DHHs.

Out of the funds allocated under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme and National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), funds to the tune of Rs 22.24 crore were not utilised, as of March 2022, the CAG pointed out.