The West Bengal government, through the Health Systems Resource Centre — the agency responsible for conducting medical and health-sector recruitments on behalf of the state health department — has issued a notification inviting applications for 1,497 posts of General Duty Medical Officers and Block Dental Medical Officers across hospitals in the state.
The recruitment drive targets both urban and rural healthcare facilities, with vacancies spread across multiple districts in West Bengal. The GDMO posts form the bulk of the openings and are typically posted at community health centres, primary health centres, and larger district hospitals. BDMOH positions are specifically attached to block-level dental units, reflecting the state's push to strengthen oral-health care at the grassroots level.
According to the official notification, candidates can submit their applications online beginning November 15, 2019. The application window is expected to remain open for several weeks, though the exact closing date was yet to be confirmed at the time of publication. Prospective applicants are advised to monitor the official HRB portal for updates regarding the deadline, examination schedule, and any subsequent corrigendum.
Eligibility for the GDMO and BDMOH posts generally requires candidates to hold a recognised medical degree — the MBBS for general duty roles and an appropriate postgraduate dental qualification for the dental medical officer positions — along with registration with the State Medical Council or the Dental Council of India. Age relaxations and reservation quotas will apply as per West Bengal state-government norms for SC, ST, OBC, and other eligible categories.
The recruitment comes against a backdrop of chronic staff shortages in West Bengal's public-health infrastructure. For years, the state has faced gaps in doctor deployment at primary and secondary-care facilities, particularly in remote and tribal-dominated districts. Health experts and civil-society groups have repeatedly called for timely fill-ups of sanctioned medical posts to ensure adequate patient care delivery.
The selection process is expected to follow the standard HRB protocol: an initial screening or written examination followed by document verification and, where applicable, a performance or interview round. Shortlisted candidates will be posted according to merit and vacancy distribution among districts.
Official advertisements and detailed instructions, including the complete list of districts and posts, are available on the West Bengal Health Systems Resource Centre website.
