Cuttack: “Healthcare services will not face any fund crunch,” said Health Minister Pratap Jena at a review meeting in SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) Wednesday. Stressing that the government’s priority is to provide quality healthcare to everyone, Jena said the Health department additional secretary would visit the hospital once in a fortnight to take stock of various issues.
“Henceforth, no professor from SCBMCH would come to the government to put forth his/her grievances, instead the government would come to them and listen to their problems,” Jena added.
He pointed out that the Health department would soon make all arrangements so that doctors can convey their problems to the state government online.
The minister advised the SCBMCH authorities to take appropriate steps for resolving the issues of its employees and students. He also asked the hospital administration to ensure basic amenities like drinking water for the patients and attendants.
“The Health department would convene a high-level meeting July 30 and take steps to arrange required equipment for SCBMCH and other premium health institutes,” Jena said.
Open spl ward for destitute: OHRC
Cuttack: Expressing displeasure over the dismal state of destitute patients at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH), Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) acting chairperson Justice Bira Kishore Misra Wednesday directed the hospital authorities to ensure a dedicated ward for the destitute.
The directive came after an OHRC delegation, led by Justice Misra, paid a surprise visit to premier hospital in the backdrop of allegations of negligence towards destitute patients. Justice Misra spotted Barsha Das, a destitute suffering from anal infection, wandering near the casualty department. Justice Misra arranged for her admission to the casualty.
Later, the OHRC delegation visited the Orthopaedic ward and learnt that as many as 23 destitute patients lying on the ward’s verandah ‘without proper care’. Social activists Achyuta Kumar Sahu and Deepak Acharya drew the delegation’s attention towards an HIV positive destitute who has been lying on the verandah since 2015. Expressing concern, the delegation directed SCB authorities to open a dedicated ward for the destitute.