A civil society body of the district, ‘Forum for People’s Cause’ has threatened to embark on an agitation from May 20 here in view of the poor health services in the District Headquarters Hospital. The forum, besides pointing out that there was an acute shortage of beds, doctors and other allied staff in the hospital, alleged that due to callousness of the authorities, the diagnostic machines were out of order. As a result, the patients were facing tough times.
Forum member Hrushikesh Rath said, “The health service of the DHH is in a shambles. The hospital was established in 1958 and has attained ISO certification. However, the patients from far and wide are lying on ground for want of beds. While there are 205 beds, the average admission in the hospital per day is about 350.” He added that the diagnostic machines are either defunct or not in use as a result of which the poor patients are hit hard.
Bistu Mohanty, another member, lamented, “Although the ICU was inaugurated twice in the past, it couldn’t run. On the other hand, the trauma care centre and pensioners’ cabin which were built privately are closed. The doctors are working in private clinics during the working hours and neglecting the patients. The touts are exploiting the poor sending them to private clinics and nursing homes. They are also not given free medicines and instead are referred to private druggists.”
“Most of the patients are being referred to Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and as a result, many of the critical ones are facing untimed death. Earlier, about a month ago although the CDMO had assured us to do the needful, yet nothing was done so far. Under the above circumstances, we have decided to hold dharana in front of CDMO office on Wednesday,” Mohanty said further.
When asked, CDMO Dr BS Pani said he was facing acute shortage of staff and doctors to cater to the requirement. “The pensioners’ cabin has been closed temporarily in view of shortage of staff. We want to open the ICU at the earliest. The trauma care centre couldn’t open for the reason of want of adequate doctors and staff. We have given advertisement for recruitment of at least 14 staff nurses and equal number of attendants,” revealed Dr Pani.