Berhampur: Lack of proper infrastructure at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur has spawned a wave of resentment among patients here, which was highlighted in an agitation led by Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan on the hospital campus Wednesday.
Demanding a written assurance from the district administration and hospital authorities that immediate steps will be taken to improve the state of affairs at the hospital, Harichandan said “a bigger agitation was required to bring irregularities at the hospital to light”.
The PCC chief was at the hospital to visit a woman injured in a recent floor collapse at the Pitala panchayat office.
MKCG Hospital is the go-to destination for thousands of patients from Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal and Malkangiri districts and also for several patients from border areas of Andhra Pradesh. Over 1,200 patients come here for treatment daily but only 1,082 beds are available for the patients.
The hospital has over 25 different departments but is bereft of quality facilities, patients said, adding that facilities that were once available are now no longer there, forcing patients to go to private nursing homes for treatment.
There is also a huge vacancy of professors in all departments. There are surprisingly no professors in Cardiology, Nephrology and Neurology departments. Over 100 doctors are vacant out of the total 281 seats.
Shockingly, many doctors posted at MKCG are learnt to be running their own private clinics in Bhubaneswar while continuing to draw salaries from the government. Similarly, the hospital has only 340 nurses against a requirement of 800.
Till today, there is no oxygen pipeline supply and no MRI facilities. There are only four beds in the ICU while the trauma care centre is lying unused for the last few years. The CT-Scan machine is also lying defunct for the last two months. The government launched a ‘Mahaprayan Yojana’ to transfer bodies from hospitals but there are no drivers appointed to drive the hearse vans, forcing people to arrange for transportation on their own and rendering the scheme fruitless.
Infant and maternal mortality rates are also shooting up at the hospital due to alleged medical negligence. Locals say that close to 40 per cent of the facilities supposed to be provided by the government are not available at the hospital.
Meanwhile, PCC chief Harichandan said there were no doctors at the surgery ward of the hospital to attend to five women who were shifted to MKCG in a critical condition after being severely injured in the floor collapse at the Pitala panchayat office two days back.
Alleging medical negligence, Harichandan along with his supporters sat on an agitation.
Medical superintendent Khetrabasi Subudhi, college principal Arun Dandapat, Berhampur sub-collector Sidharth Shankar Swain and SDPO Shantunu Dash reached the hospital and requested Harichandan to call off the agitation.
However, the PCC chief continued his agitation and questioned hospital authorities as to the various facilities provided at the hospital to which authorities were unable to provide a satisfactory answer. He demanded a written statement from authorities assuring immediate measures in this regard.
The agitation was called off after a written assurance was given by the superintendent to tackle the problems within a week. PNN
