less than eight hours after DGP Prakash Mishra assured Cuttack journalists that they would be given adequate police protection while covering events at the SCB Medical College and Hospital here, the Hospital Superintendent late on Friday evening came out with a notification restricting entry of media representatives in the hospital premises.
Interestingly, Hospital Superintendent Dr Shyama Kanungo signed the notification within hours after holding discussions with State Health Secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, who had come to the city on an official visit. The notification said that henceforth, representatives of both electronic and print media would be allowed to enter the hospital only after obtaining permission from the Superintendent.
While the copies of the notification were sent to the various departments of the hospital, the district administration, the RDC (Central) office and various health department officials, Health Minister Damodar Rout, while replying to reporters’ questions in Bhubaneswar on the day said he was not aware of the fact that such a notification was issued by the Hospital Superintendent.
However, terming the Superintendent’s gag order on the media as nothing but an attempt to suppress the hospital’s gross unprofessional conduct, journalists of Cuttack city on Saturday condemned it and demanded its withdrawal forthwith. If the order was not withdrawn by Sunday, mediapersons would meet RDC Arabinda Padhee on Monday for his intervention for quashing of the notification and taking to task the Superintendent for issuing such a fatwa.
Questioning the justifiability of the gag order, mediapersons wondered as to how to obtain permission from the Superintendent of the Hospital. “Whether we would obtain a written or verbal permission and who would be authorised to verify such permission,” asked a city journalist, informing that the hospital doesn’t have a permanent Superintendent.
“Moreover, the hospital has seen at least three acting Superintendents during the past six months and the present incumbent, who is on the verge of retirement, attends office very sparingly threatening to put in her papers at the drop of a hat,” said another reporter.
Meanwhile, a local reporter, Biranchi Narayan Patri, also filed an application before the State Human Rights Commission alleging that the Hospital Superintendent has misused her official power in issuing such an order which is also inflicting the human rights of a journalist.