Puri: The Health department has ordered a probe into an alleged diversion of a patient from the surgery ward of Puri district headquarters hospital (DHH) to a private hospital here July 18.
A video of the alleged incident went viral on social media. Human rights activist Jayanta Dash had tweeted the incident to the Chief Minister and Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das and sought stern action against the doctor, who had diverted the appendicitis patient, and the chief district medical officer (CDMO).
“The Health department has taken the issue with all seriousness and ordered a departmental probe into it. The CDMO has constituted a team to probe the incident. Stern action would be taken against the doctor concerned if the allegation is found to be true,” said a senior doctor at the DHH.
Additional district medical officer (ADMO) Sisir Kumar Rath said the probe team would examine the video. “The Health department has asked the CDMO to probe the incident. If required, the DHH authorities will serve notice on the doctor concerned. We may discuss the issue with the patient’s husband,” Rath added.
As per the allegation, Sumitra Mohanty, the wife of Guruprasad Mohanty of Matiapada in the city here, was admitted to the surgery ward of the DHH with appendicitis July 18. Soon a few middlemen of private nursing homes reached the hospital and advised Guruprasad to consult a particular doctor of the DHH.
The doctor concerned examined Sumitra and advised for an operation to remove the appendix. The doctor allegedly asked Guruprasad to admit Sumitra to a private hospital near Srigundicha temple. He also offered concession on charges for Sumitra’s treatment at the private hospital.
The doctor allegedly told Guruprasad that the DHH did not have proper infrastructure to treat appendicitis. “Several appendicitis patients are in the queue to get treatment at the DHH. You have to wait for long,” the doctor reportedly told the Mohanty couple.
However, the authorities of the private hospital sought Rs 18,000 to operate upon Sumitra. Expressing his inability to arrange the money, Guruprasad admitted his wife to another private hospital here, sources said.
Some staff of the DHH had also claimed that the doctor concerned has been diverting patients to private hospitals for the last several days.
