In order to avoid repeat of ‘Dana Majhi’ like incident, the State Government has decided to form a ‘WhatsApp’ group comprising Medical Officers and district administrative and Health Department officials for immediate exchange of information regarding death of patients, their discharges and transportations from hospitals.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda on Thursday asked to form a ‘WhatsApp’ Group to ensure exchange of real time information on deaths at hospitals.
All the group members would be alerted on each death taking place in hospitals.
A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting chaired by Meherda in the backdrop of an incident at Jajpur where two youths carried their mother’s body on their shoulders.
Though the Government has passed standard operating procedures (SOP) for transporting bodies from hospitals, yet it has been marked that hospitals are not following the SOP in true spirit. To avoid recurrence of Dana Majhi like case, in which the tribal carried his wife’s body on shoulders due to unavailability of an ambulance in Kalahandi district, the department has mooted this online application, said an official.
Under the present rule, no dead body can be discharged from hospitals without appropriate certificate, said Meherda.
As per the new provision, the Block Development Officers (BDOs), Tehsildars, all Chief District Medical Officers (CDMO) and Sub Divisional Medical Officers (SDMO) will be included in the WhatsApp Group.
On death of patient, the concerned Medical Officer would inform the matter to the kin of the victim, and the same would be shared disseminated online to all members of the Whatsapp Group immediately.
The kin of the deceased would be asked whether they would make arrangements for transporting the body or seek help from the hospital, the official said.