Keonjhar: Apart from lack of basic facilities in Keonjhar District Headquarters Hospital, patients are complaining of unavailability of doctors. A case in point is the skin department.
Sources said skin specialist Mahalik has been on leave for the last five days. Patients have to return home frustrated after seeing his leave notice on the board.
When the media persons enquired about the matter, it is understood that Mahalik was told to do post mortem work by the hospital authority. He is said to have expressed his inability to do that work due to his sickness to the hospital authority which had forced him to do that.
I have never said no to any duty. Since my health is the main problem, I have to say no to post-mortem work
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Mahalik| skin specialist, DHH
Unhappy with the hospital authority’s decision, he has gone on leave for an indefinite period, it is said.
According to Mahalik, he has been working in this hospital for the last 15 years. But he has never been told to do post mortem work. He further said that he has been doing night duty and outdoor duty for years. He has never said no to such duty. Since his health is the main problem, he has to say no for this, Mahalik clarified.
- The skin department of the DHH is plagued by internal squabbles
- In one case a person assigned to do post-mortem work has been eschewing his duty under the garb of leaves
- In another case a person who has been appointed as ADMO at the hospital has not been joining the DHH although he has been instructed by the CDMO for the same
When hospital CDMO Choudhry Swarup Mohanty was asked about the matter, he said every doctor of this hospital is doing post mortem work. Other doctors will also refuse to do it if Mahalik will not do this work. So for the smooth management of the hospital he has to do post mortem related work, Mohanty said.
Locals said patients suffer because of internal squabbles in the hospital and urged the authority to sort out the issue soon.
In another case, Nilamani Behera has been appointed as ADMO at the hospital. But till now he has not joined although CDMO Mohanty has asked Nilamani to join duty soon. The CDMO has also instructed former ADMO Deban Das to hand over his responsibility to Nilamani Behera but he is refusing to do so.
When the CDMO was asked about these issues, he said “there is no such problem; we will sort out all these matters after the doctor’s leave.”