Koppal: Despite offering attractive salaries of `1.10 lakh to specialist doctors and promising appointment orders within just 30 minutes of application submission, government hospitals in Koppal district continue to face an acute shortage of medical professionals.

The crisis is particularly severe in rural areas, where primary health centers (PHCs) are operating without doctors, leaving patients with no access to essential healthcare services.Koppal currently has 47 sanctioned positions for medical officers, with only 29 filled—leaving 18 vacant. Specialist doctor positions are even worse, with 21 of the 58 posts unfilled.

Community health centers (CHCs) have just 2 senior doctors out of the required 9, and the National Health Mission (NHM) has 17 doctors for its 26 sanctioned posts.

Out of the district’s PHCs, 18 are operating without a single doctor. While nurses and other staff try to fill the gap, the absence of medical officers has turned these facilities into mere buildings. Often, doctors from neighboring facilities are assigned additional duties, forcing some to manage two hospitals simultaneously. PHCs without sufficient staffing are unable to provide round-the-clock care. Existing doctors attend daytime shifts but leave at night, depriving patients of emergency services after hours.

The situation is even more dire in remote villages, where reaching alternative medical facilities at night poses a significant challenge.

Appointments are processed rapidly, often within half an hour of application during office hours. Despite these incentives, doctors are unwilling to work in rural postings. Urban hospitals face fewer staffing issues, highlighting a stark contrast with rural facilities.

District Health Officer Dr. Lingaraj acknowledged the seriousness of the shortage: “We are issuing immediate appointment orders, yet no one is coming forward to serve in rural areas,” he said.Member of Parliament Rajashekar Hitnal expressed concern over the worsening situation, promising to bring the matter to the government’s attention and push for urgent solutions: “The shortage of doctors in rural PHCs is critical.

We will urge the government to implement special measures.”As rural residents struggle for basic healthcare, authorities face mounting pressure to address the crisis before it escalates further.