Cuttack: Patients at the Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) here have been facing problems in availing a host of medical facilities for the last three days due to the absence of hospital emergency officer Bhubananand Maharana.
Maharana, whose recommendations are mandatory for various free-cares in the hospital, is on a foreign trip and expected to join office October 15. Two senior doctors, deputed to perform the duties of Maharana, have failed to facilitate free treatment for the needy patients.
Many patients were denied free-cares as the two senior doctors did not recommend them. “At least 200 patients avail free services everyday at SCBMCH. But only 45 patients were provided free-cares during the last three days,” said a source.
Some patients have claimed that the two doctors deputed to handle Maharana’s duties were found absent from their offices during working hours. “No one can trace the two doctors in the afternoon. We have raised the issue with the hospital management but to no avail,” rued Umesh Mallick, a patient admitted to the surgery department.
Nila Jena, admitted to the orthopaedic department, claimed that he could not avail the free services owing to lack of proper recommendation.
“Even some patients have been denied free blood testing in Maharana’s absence. Bishwajit Das, a patient from Jajpur, could not avail free-care for the last three days,” said social activist Deepak Acharya.
Sources said some patients and their attendants have raised the issue with hospital superintendent Pratap Rath and sought his intervention.
“There were some problems in availing free services at the hospital Wednesday. The issue has been solved,” Rath claimed.
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