Cuttack: A 75-year-old destitute man has been denied treatment for the past two months as he was unable to arrange for blood for his operation at SCB Medical College and Hospital.
The government is spending huge amount of money to provide treatment to the homeless and the destitute persons through various health care scheme, but due to the hospital authorities lack of concern many needy persons are still awaiting treatment.
According to sources, the elderly person, hailing from Ananadpur under Mahanga police limits got admitted to the SCB about two months ago for treatment of his ailing leg. Doctors over here advised him to go for a surgery.
It was learnt that the hospital authorities declared him as a destitute person and assured him treatment free of cost at that time. Later the doctors informed him two units of blood were needed for the operation but the blood bank of the hospital lacks the rare blood group.
With no options left the elderly man was forced to take shelter in the hospital premises awaiting doctors to conduct the operation, but in vain. Finally he started begging from people to arrange money to buy the required blood unit. Though the man arranged a unit of blood with `290, he ran out of money to buy another unit, said a source.
After hearing about the old man’s misery, social activists— Achyuta Kumar Sahu and Dipak Acharya reached the hospital and arranged another unit of blood for the helpless man. They learnt that the hospital authorities had not given any treatment to the man for many days following which he was forced to beg from people to collect money to buy blood units.
When asked SCB administrative officer Pratap Mishra said, “There are no provisions to buy blood, instead one has to pay the users fee. If the authorities have identified the man a destitute person, he should be provided treatment and blood units free of cost. I’ll investigate the matter and circumstance leading to the delay of the operation”, he added.
According to reliable sources, there are in all, 112 destitute and homeless persons undergoing treatment at the SCBMCH, out of the total such persons, 70 are mentally challenged. The hospital authorities have deployed only 15 attendants in two shifts to take care of these patients.
On being asked, SCBMCH superintendent Shyama Kanungo said, “The destitute patients who are cured and no longer need treatment will be rehabilitated following consultation with the district collector.”
PNN
