Sonepur: After over two weeks of disruption, anaesthesia services at the Subarnapur District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) are set to resume from Monday.
The announcement was made by Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) Dr Usharani Dash, who issued an official directive outlining the new arrangements.
According to Dr Dash, trained anaesthetist and superintendent of Birmaharajpur Subdivisional Hospital Dr Subash Panda will serve at the DHH every Tuesday and Wednesday.
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In addition, Dr Panda will be available on call on Mondays and Saturdays for any emergency surgeries, including childbirths requiring anaesthesia. Similarly, paediatric specialist and trained anaesthetist Dr Rabindra Panda, currently posted at the Dunguripali Community Health Centre, will serve at the DHH every Thursday and Friday.
These measures are expected to restore essential surgical and obstetric services that have remained suspended since October 22 due to the absence of anaesthetists.
The development follows widespread concern over the suspension of operations, which was published in OrissaPOST November 8 under the headline “Patients hit as surgeries stop at Subarnapur DHH.” The report highlighted how the transfer of the only trained anaesthetist, Dr Subash Panda, had left the hospital unable to conduct even minor operations, forcing patients to seek costly treatment at private nursing homes.
Social workers and intellectuals had drawn the attention of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Health Minister Dr Mukesh Kumar Mahaling to the issue through social media posts. In response, the state government instructed the district administration to take immediate steps, resulting in the CDM&PHO’s announcement.
Since the inauguration of the hospital’s new building, surgical services in departments such as orthopaedics, ophthalmology, and ENT had been suspended due to the lack of anaesthesia support. Even simple procedures like plastering fractures were not being performed, severely affecting poor patients who could not afford private care. With the government’s intervention and the revised duty roster, there is renewed hope that surgical and maternal health services at the Subarnapur DHH will return to normal starting Monday.
PNN