Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday sanctions 3,854 ANM, 5,400 staff nurse posts. It was decided during a high-level meeting here. CM Patnaik instructed the Health Department authorities to take early steps to fill up the vacancies and increase the sanctioned strength of posts as per the Inian Public Health Standard norms.

CM Patnaik also expressed serious concern over the lack of requisite manpower in the posts of ANM, staff nurse, radiographer and laboratory technicians in the Government medical institutes and asked the Health Department authorities. He asked the offcials to increase the number of seats in the Government institutes to train the paramedical staffs in order to cater to the growing need of the hospitals to ensure better health care. The institutes for training the paramedical staffs in private sector should be encouraged, he said.

Since the ANMs play an important role in checking maternal and infant mortality rate, the ANM posts should be filled up immediately and to create the required 3,854 ANM posts as per the norms of Indian Public Health Standard.

He also asked the authorities to create another 5,400 new posts of staff nurses and required radiographer posts. Patnaik also asked the district Collectors to dispose of the applications of the BPL patients seeking assistance from the State Treatment Fund for medical expenses.