Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court (HC) has asked the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department and Cuttack’s SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) to file a detailed report on hygiene measures being taken during preparation and distribution of cooked food to indoor patients at SCBMCH as well as other government healthcare facilities in Odisha, monitoring of the balanced diet preparation and adequacy of the diet to the patients.
The HC also asked the H&FW department and the state’s premier healthcare facility to suggest how, in SCBMCH as well as other government hospitals, a well-planned infrastructure can be provided, infection preventive measures can be taken, and protocols for preparation as well as distribution of cooked diet in a systematic way can be maintained while ensuring quality.
The state’s apex court sought the implementation of the technical and operational guidelines of 2022, framed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“Since the kitchen facility available at SCBMCH has been outsourced, overall monitoring and supervision are required to be done by hospital personnel,” the HC observed in the order pronounced September 10.
“As different dietary norms are to be followed for different categories of patients, the role of a dietician is very much relevant,” the HC ruled, suggesting that adequacy of diet and hygiene measures are required to be taken at the time of food preparation and also while serving the food to patients.
“Taking into account the continuing concern over the lack of attention to the nutritional needs of indoor patients, the H&FW department has already formed a technical and management support team to assess the prevailing dietary practices in public health institutions and identify areas of improvement,” the department’s Commissioner-cum-Secretary informed the HC in an affidavit.
Emphasis was also laid on the formation of a diet vigilance committee to monitor and supervise the overall diet management process and quality assurance system, the affidavit said, adding, “Facilities at the kitchens need to be improved along with hygienic practices, and each kitchen should have separate storage and cooking facilities along with provision of a food preservation system.”
“The H&FW department has also issued guidelines for diet management in public health institutions wherein the role of dietician/nutritionist, sanitary measures, store and stock, cleanliness of kitchen staff and dishes/ utensils and food handling have been highlighted,” it added.
The matter was posted for further hearing November 6.
PNN
