A team of the Manav Adhikar Suraksha Manch (MASM) led by convener Abani Kumar Gaya met the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Southern Division) on Wednesday and demanded his intervention into the alleged misappropriation of hospital users’ fee and poor healthcare system in Ganjam and Gajapati districts. “Though every citizen has a right to avail better healthcare to lead a healthy life, people of Ganjam and Gajapati districts have been neglected of the same,” the memorandum submitted to the RDC read.

It also alleged that users’ fees being collected by the Government hospitals are not being used for patients’ cause, rather they are being misappropriated by the concerned staffs.

There is a dearth of doctors and modern healthcare equipments in the MKCG Medical College Hospital at Brahmapur. There are also no technicians to look after the existing equipments. This being the backdrop, it is disappointing that the hospital administration is utilising users’ fees, which ought to be used for upgrading health services, for payment of salaries to hundreds of security personnel engaged for protection of doctors, the memorandum alleged.

The team too apprised the RDC that the medical authorities do not provide 108-Ambulance to carry dead bodies to their respective native places. Gaya also alleged though the Gajapati District Headquarters Hospital has an ultrasound machine, yet patients are not availing it and being forced to go to private clinics and nursing homes. He demanded that the machine be made operative soon and a CT scan machine be installed there in view of large numbers of patients visiting the DHH daily.

Among others, social activist Dr AK Verma, Upendranath Mishra, Bansidhar Bhuyan, S Symba Rao, Maguni Nahak and Bijay Chandra Bisoyi were in the team.