Puri: At a time when complaints continue to pour in about the deteriorating healthcare services at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) here, allegations of absence of the chief district medical officer (CDMO) from the headquarters has raised many eyebrows.
Convener of Sachetan Nagarika Manch Prasanna Kumar Das Saturday wrote to the district Collector addressing the Health Minister vividly highlighting the poor service delivery at the only International Standard Organisation (ISO)-certified government-run hospital in the state.
In his letter, Das stated that patients visiting the hospital face considerable inconvenience due to dearth of doctors and other staff. More than half of the sanctioned posts of doctors, staff nurse and other staff are lying vacant at the hospital. Besides, absenteeism of doctors at outpatient department (OPD) is worrisome, Das alleged.
Das said although the state government introduced Niramaya Yojana to supply free medicines to patients since 2015, the flagship scheme falls flat at the hospital. The patients are deprived of quality treatment at the hospital, he alleged.
In spite of frequent questions being raised on the degrading healthcare service, the CDMO does not take any step to improve the situation. The CDMO himself remains absent from the district headquarters frequently, Das pointed out in the letter.
He further alleged that poor quality of food is being served to the patients at the hospital while the sanitation mechanism has completely collapsed. The hospital is continuously reeling under acute drinking water shortage.
The water purifiers installed at the maternal and child healthcare (MCH) centre here are lying defunct for a long time. The patients have to rush to OPD to fetch water. Due to defunct lift, the pregnant women are forced to use stairs of the seven-storey building. Moreover, the post-mortem room is lying defunct and the sunstroke ward is locked, Das added.
Recently, during the Rath Yatra coordination committee meeting many members had raised the issue of deteriorating healthcare service at the hospital. During the annual festival doctors are hired from outside the district, but no steps are being taken to fill-up the existing vacancies, Das alleged. He sought permanent solution to the issue.
When contacted, CDMO Hara Prasad Patnaik said, “Efforts are on to improve the healthcare service at the DHH. We have directed doctors to prescribe medicines listed under Niramaya scheme. Drinking water and sanitation issues will be resolved. I am also aware of various problems of different health centres in the district and efforts are underway to sort out them. The allegation about my absenteeism is false and baseless.”