Where as the Government is providing all sorts of assistance, including money, to the pregnant women for proper health before and after delivery and safe birth of the child under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, reportedly, some dishonest doctors and other staff members are demanding money from the delivery patients in the district headquarters hospital here.
One Ranjita Behera of village lata Bainsia was admitted to the district headquarters hospital on March 21 last for delivery of her child. Interestingly, no gynaecologist was present in the hospital on that day.
A surgery specialist was asked to handle the cases. When Ranjita was taken to operation theatre, a nurse asked her attendants to pay `2,500 to conduct the operation.
The relatives expressed their inability to pay the money then and requested the nurse to carry on the operation. But the nurse told it bluntly that the operation cannot be conducted unless the money was not transacted.
The relatives of Ranjita arranged money with much difficulty and paid the amount to the nurse. After that, the operation was done.
A study showed that Ranjita's case was just the tip of an iceberg.
Many patients were harassed by the hospital staff during delivery of their child. Sarat Naik, husband of Sabita Naik of Jamunakorte was forced to pay `3,000, laxmipriya Sahoo of the same village `2,500, Jhunu Bala Swain of Gandhimandir Road `2,000 and Sabita Pradhan `2,500. It is also alleged that most of the times, the pregnant women are asked to pay
for travel.