Baripada: Doctors at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRMMCH) here are allegedly coercing the patients to visit private hospitals for treatment.
The matter came to the fore after a patient Amarjit Kumar lodged a complaint with the superintendent Dr Pratibha Panda of the PRM Medical College and Hospital demanding action.
Reports said that Amarjit, a native of Damodarpur area on Baripada outskirts visited the hospital February 15. A doctor at the hospital conducted a check-up of his health and advised him of surgery, November 16. Later, the date for surgery was shifted to December 26 and he was asked to undergo a Covid examination before the surgery.
He visited the hospital on the aforementioned date December 26 but had to return as the doctor was absent.
Amarjit again visited the hospital and met the doctor December 28 for the surgery. He was shocked when the doctor pulled him up under various pretexts. The doctor also told him not to wait to get the surgery done at the government hospital but instead told him to visit the private hospital and get the small surgery done. When he objected to such advice, the staff at the hospital asked him to leave.
Left with no option, he met the superintendent of PRMMCH Dr Pratibha Panda and lodged a complaint in this regard. The incident has sparked resentment and drawn flak from the patients and their attendants. They alleged that when the state government is providing free treatment facilities to the patients under the welfare schemes, the government doctors’ love for private hospitals is affecting the successful implementation of government welfare schemes.
Chatters are abuzz that the private hospitals are luring the doctors with attractive offerings through their agents and the staff members at the government hospital are working behind the scene to send the patients to the private hospitals.
When contacted, PRMMCH superintendent Dr Pratibha Panda said that the HoD of the concerned department has been asked to submit a report in this regard and action will be taken after receiving the report.
PNN