Sambalpur, Sept. 15: Residents of Burla have urged the authorities and the students to resolve the ongoing impasse at the Veer Surendra Sai Medical College and Hospital.

The medical college was closed sine die from September 7 following a clash between medical students and some local people.

Sadhu Charan Panda, former vice-chancellor of Utkal University of Culture and a Burla resident, said: “The government should immediately intervene in the matter and find out a solution to the problem. People of western Orissa and neighbouring states are dependent on this hospital. Health services have been disrupted here as the medical college has remain closed.”

Panda also said the government should immediately fill up the posts that were lying vacant at the medical college and hospital and take strong action against those responsible for the present impasse.

Chandarabati Naik, chairperson of Burla Notified Area Council (NAC), said: “We were not opposed to the students’ agitation. But we opposed the shut down of outdoors by them. The government should initiate strong action against the people who are responsible for this deadlock in the hospital.”

“Doctors examine patients and prescribe them medicines, but junior doctors (senior medical students) guide them. The agitation has affected health services considerably as resident doctors, too, have joined the strike. Hundreds of people are suffering for this. The district administration has failed to take appropriate measures to solve the problem,” said Laxmidhar Mohanty, another Burla resident.

The Burla Merchant Association has also demanded immediate intervention of the government to solve the ongoing problem at the hospital.

“Most of the important departments of the VSS Medical College and Hospital are either closed or not functioning because of non-availability of doctors and technical staff. The government should immediately fill up the vacancies here,” said Shyam Sunder Agrawal, vice-president of Burla Merchant Association.