Balasore: Amid allegations of messy healthcare services, an Assembly Standing Committee led by Ashwini Patra visited the district headquarters hospital in Balasore Wednesday and received complaints about poor healthcare.
The 12-member committee took stock of infrastructure and visited obstetrics’ and gynecology and pediatrics wards. They interacted with patients and their relatives about facilities and healthcare being made available to them.
However, during interaction with patients, they were flooded with complaints that there has been an improvement in infrastructure set-up, but proper healthcare facilities are not available to them.
It was stated that the government carried out an overhaul of infrastructure at the district headquarters hospital with new buildings while some doctors, nurses and other medical staff were appointed, but healthcare services have not been up to mark.
Earlier, 400 to 500 patients used to visit the DHH on a daily basis, but their number has increased five to six times, particularly after the Medical College and Hospital was made operational.
A number of medical professors and experts joined while costly services like MRI, dialysis, CT scan, ultrasound and high-end lab were available free of cost.
It was learnt that there are 285 doctors, 99 pharmacists, 352 lab technicians have been appointed in the hospitals in the district.
It was alleged that most of the professors and experts do not turn up the DHH. They come to the hospital for a brief time but make themselves busy at private hospitals and clinics.
Since biometric system has not been put in place, authorities fail to monitor incoming and outgoing of doctors, nurses and experts at the DHH.
Besides, it is often alleged that poor people coming from remote areas have to face exploitation.
No steps have been taken for parking lot, CCTV cameras, drinking water and toilets.
The committee got to know of a host of problems. The panel members Balasore MLA Madanmohan Dutt, Karanjia MLA Basanti Hembram, Remuna MLA Sudhansu Sekhar Parida, Jharsuguda MLA Kusum Tete, Saraskana MLA Dr Budhan Murmu, Champua MLA Minakshi Mohanty, health secretary Haraprasad Pattnaik, director of nursing Dr Sunil Kumar, DSS director Dillip Kumar Sarangi, Collector K Sudarshan Chakraborty, dean of the medical college Dr Pratap Rath, medical superintendent Dr Sudhir Kumar Ghose and CDMO Dr Bannerjee Prasad Chhotray were present during the visit.
PNN