The MCl-run Nehru Satabdi Central Hospital here is in a shambles due to staff crunch and apathy of the authorities.
It was established in 1994 for providing healthcare facilities to the MCl staff as well as patients of peripheral mining areas. It stared with 300 beds and in the course of time, many sophisticated equipments were installed in the hospital. It is also proposed to be upgraded to a medical college.
However, though the inhabitants of the peripheral areas of the MCl should get treatment facility in the hospital, it is not ensured.
The hospital has a total of 90 beds only in the departments of medicine, gynaecology, general surgery, eye, dental and ENT etc.
Over 300 patients used to come for checkup daily to the hospital but, given the deplorable condition, at present the number has drastically fallen to less than 100. The major handicap of the hospital is staff crunch and lack of specialised doctors.
Almost in all departments, the doctor posts are lying vacant. No replacements are done for the doctors who are transferred from Talcher to other project hospitals of the MCl. In the last three months over 30 doctors have been transferred from the hospital, but not a single doctor has come as their replacement. Above all, no doctors and efficient technicians have been posted to operate the costly ultrasound and other machines for diagnosis. What the hospital has been doing is it is merely referring the cases to private hospitals when there are serious patients.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the Chief Medical Superintendent of MCl did not respond.
INTUC-affiliated Odisha Colliery Mazdoor Sangha general secretary Soubhagya Chandra Pradhan alleged that the patients of the peripheral villages are not admitted in the hospital even as they are victimised by the serious pollution created by the mining and transportation activities of the MCl.