A total of 91 vacant doctor posts in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Visakhapatnam district are to be filled by the government by the end of this month.

This is expected to bring a huge relief to the people in the rural and Agency areas, as lack of adequate number of doctors has been one of the major issue in the region since years.

Public in urban areas have the option of visiting private hospitals, if PHCs are not up to the mark.

But for the people in Agency areas as well as in rural regions, government hospitals are the main source for treatment. Visakhapatnam district has about 89 Primary Health Centres in which 71 doctors have been working, as against the need for 162. Out of the total 89 PHCs, 36 PHCs are located in Agency areas.

In the 36 PHCs, there is a need for 53 doctors, but they are only 10.

There have been number of complaints from the public, especially from pregnant women, over absence of doctors during working hours in Agency PHCs.

After years of wait, the government has passed a G.O. last week to recruit the vacant posts.

 Long-pending proposal

 This has been a very long-pending proposal from Vizag district, especially in rural areas. Out of 91 recruitments, about 40 to 45 posts will be filled in Agency PHCs itself. The process of recruitment is already on and it is expected to take two to three weeks,  District Medical & Health Officer Tirupathi Rao, told The Hindu.