Jharsuguda: This district being a prominent industrial hub of western Odisha with presence of more than 40 industries, lack of essential healthcare continues to be a major issue for denizens.
Minor as well as major accidents are commonplace in industries. While most patients depend on the district headquarters hospital (DHH) for treatment, it doesn’t have a burn centre yet. It often exposed critical patients to life and death situations.
Also read: 7 workers critically injured as TPSL blast furnace explodes
According to government norms, all industrial units should be self-sufficient in basic healthcare including doctor, medical staff and ambulance. That said, the district administration does not conduct regular raids and local industries flout the regulations.
It may be mentioned here that seven workers had received severe burn injuries owing to leakage in blast furnace of TPSL factory at Lahandabuda area in the district July 2.
As healthcare infrastructure was not readily available at factory premises, the injured workers were rushed to Jharsuguda DHH. In the absence of burn centre there, all the workers had to be shifted to Rourkela Ispat General Hospital (IGH).
Meanwhile, a worker named Ananda Sahoo, who was one of the critically injured, breathed his last. This has become a regular episode in the district, locals opined.
On being contacted, Jharsuguda Chief District Medical Officer Dr Jagdish Chandra Barik said, “We will send proposals to the state government for setting up a burn centre on the DHH campus.”
Views of state health minister Naba Kishore Das, who represents Jharsuguda Assembly constituency, could not be obtained.
PNN
