Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has amended the norms for recruitment of doctors in the state.

The state government has amended the Odisha Medical & Health Services (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2017.

The amendment has been done to regulate the method of recruitment, promotion and conditions of service of the Medical Officers appointed to the Odisha Medical and Health Services Cadre.  

The state Cabinet led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today gave its approval to the Odisha Medical and Health Services (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Amendment Rules-2025.

The main features of the Rules are:

1—Candidates for appointment to the Odisha Medical and Health Services Cadre will be selected through a uniform, qualitative and fair procedure of recruitment. The suitability of the candidates will be adjudged on the basis of marks secured in a test, conducted by the Commission.

2—The existing seven grades of OMHS cadre are reduced to six grades by enhancing number of posts of Super Time Pay Grade from two to 14, Senior Administrative Grade posts from 12 to 45 and abolishing Selection Garde-I to increase promotional avenue.

3—Candidates applying for the base level posts should possess a valid registration certificate under the Odisha Medical Registration Act, 1961.

4—Provision of three advance annual increments to the candidates with recognized Post Graduate Degree and five advance annual increments with recognized Super Specialization Degree in the scale of pay applicable to Group-A (Junior Branch) Medical Officers from the date of joining as such in service.

5—Fixation of eligibility criteria for promotion of Medical Officers to the next higher grades.

“The state government will soon send requisition to the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) for recruitment of over 5,000 Group-A (JB) Medical Officers,” said the Health Department.