Phulbani: Private security guards at the Kandhamal District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) are not sincere in discharging their duties, leading to complaints from patients and doctors.
There are complaints from the public about security guards engaging in thefts and misbehaving with patients and their female attendants.
Bharat Security which was given a two-year contract, has been deploying guards at the hospital. But the agency has not been providing the services it had agreed upon while accepting the tender.
The organisation says that its guards are skilled and are earning around Rs 6.5 lakh from the hospital. But the reality is that most guards deployed at the hospital are unskilled and have not been trained.
In an incident that occurred a few days back, some outsiders went into the medical ward at night and misbehaved with the daughter of a TB patient as there were no guards.
The doctor who had admitted the patient complained to the higher authorities against the guards.
At that time the hospital authorities swept the matter under the carpet, keeping the hospital’s interests in view, but they informed Bharat Security about the guards’ misbehaviour.
A reliable source said the security agency did not take any action against the guards about whom the hospital authorities had complained.
On condition of anonymity, a hospital official said the guards who are local residents, are not discharging their duties properly. “Whenever they are asked to do something they hardly obey us. At times, they also use offensive words against us,” said the official.
There are no records about how many guards are on duty and how many are supposed to be present. They are keeping the attendance register with them and are always marking all guards as present. The attendance register is supposed to be inspected by an official, but they are getting it done outdoors by doctors, he added.
Some hospital employees said the guards even disturb doctors while they are busy treating patients.
When contacted, Additional District Medical Officer Dr Manoranjan Rout said, “Given the big campus of the hospital it is not usually possible to count the guards. But it is a fact that they are not doing their job properly. The Medical Manager has also reported to us about some of the guards.”
“This year a new tender was floated and a new security agency was awarded the contract. But I do not know its name. Once the new guards come, we will keep tabs on how they are working,” he added.
Bharat Security Supervisor Udaynath Sahu tried to avoid being questioned and later said they were short of hands. Regarding the charge that no action was taken against guards about whom there were complaints, he said that it was being investigated.
