Ranchi, March 16: Health minister Hemlal Murmu today announced on the floor of the House that services of contract doctors would be regularised by June 15 and that JPSC has been requested to fill 218 vacant posts.

During a debate on the budgetary demands of his department, Murmu pointed out that Jharkhand had an abysmal ratio of one doctor for every 17,550 individuals, far worse than the national average of a doctor for every 3,500 people.

He also admitted that Jharkhand had 2,200 doctors at state-run health centres, against a requirement of 5,500 and 3,336 nurses, although the need was 12,000. Besides, the state has 440 lab technicians, while as many as 681 posts are vacant.

Referring to the plight of tribal girl students whose results have been withheld by Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Jamshedpur, the minister said they were admitted in the MBBS course on the recommendations of then health secretary Shivendu.

“As these girls have completed their studies and their results have been withheld, I have summoned both the college principal and the vice chancellor of Kolhan University to resolve the matter. I am sure something positive will be done soon,” he added.

Murmu had to face attacks from various quarters in the Assembly soon after the discussions began. Legislators cutting across party lines expressed concern at the miserable state of health services in the state.

He found it difficult to justify why the proposed medical college in Chaibasa was shifted to Kharsawan and explain the government’s inability to spur on doctors to work in rural areas. BJP member Raghubar Das also supported the idea of setting up a medical college in Chaibasa soon.

Apart from the health department, the budgetary demands of tribal welfare, social welfare, women and child development and civil aviation departments were also passed by voice vote amid boycott by the Opposition.

The discussions on cut motion introduced my CPI(ML) member Vinod Kumar Singh could not begin smoothly, as Opposition members questioned why the social welfare department had failed to table its progress report and propose plans for the next fiscal.

Speaker C.P. Singh struggled to persuade the MLAs to allow the discussion to begin. Finally, it was found that the social welfare department had yesterday submitted its report to the Assembly secretariat, which failed to circulate it among legislators. Singh declared that the secretariat employee responsible would be suspended immediately.