Sambalpur, May 24: The district headquarters hospital at Sambalpur is the preferred destination for many in western Orissa. But not all seems well with the popular medical destination.

The hospital, situated in the heart of the town, caters to a large number of families who cannot afford to go to the more expensive nursing homes.

But, in spite of the work done by chief district medical officer (CDMO) Lokenath Acharya and the competence of the team of doctors, the hospital is plagued by a host of problems.

To begin with, the emergency telephone has been out of service for several months though the hospital earned Rs 11 lakh in the last fiscal as users’ fees alone. The hospital authorities can use part of the money on emergency services but are yet to do so. This results in non-availability of the ambulance during emergencies.

The 200-bed hospital also faces a staff shortage ? from doctors to Grade IV employees. Even the post of anaesthetist has been lying vacant for the past three months. Vacancies in the departments of radiology, skin treatment and venereal diseases are yet to be filled up. Besides, the wards are understaffed as well.

In the recent Zilla Swasthya Samity meeting, the members expressed concern over the problems of the hospital. The meeting decided to send a reminder to the government on this vacancies, said a member. The CDMO said the vacant posts will be filled up soon, as he has apprised his seniors of the situation.