leaders and workers of both Congress and BJP on Tuesday staged massive protests here demanding resignation of Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak for the current mess in the Sishu Bhawan, the paediatrics hospital that has recorded as many as 27 deaths during the past five days.
Youth workers of both the Opposition parties burnt effigies of Nayak at separate places while their top leaders came to the hospital in rallies and held discussions with its superintendent and other officials to get firsthand information about the sudden spurt in casualties.
While PCC president Prasad Harichandan accompanied by local party leaders held discussions with Sishu Bhawan Superintendent Prof Niranjan Mohanty, a BJP delegation was led by its legislative leader Basant Panda. Blaming the Government, particularly the Health Minister, for the situation, the opposition leaders demanded immediate measures to arrest the casualties.
Although the Health Minister has constituted a high-level technical team led by the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) to look into the causes of each death reported in the hospital since August 21, the earlier inquiries conducted by a team of doctors of the Sishu Bhawan and the CDMO have ruled out the allegations of negligence in treatment.
It may be mentioned that the death rate in the Sishu Bhawan has suddenly mounted from last year when the paediatric unit of the SCB Medical College Hospital was merged with it. Secondly, with introduction of 108 Ambulance service, the hospital received more and more critical patients, who were referred here in moribund conditions from far-off rural pockets.
While the Sishu Bhawan recorded only 488 deaths in 2010-11, the casualty figure mounted to 1,114 in 2014-15 and 564 of them died while undergoing treatment in ICU in critical conditions.
Experts here, however, believe that more than the allegation of negligence in treatment, the parents and attendants of the deceased were very upset over the rude and crude behaviour of the hospital staff, particularly nurses.