Cuttack: A destitute patient was found lying on the floor with his hands tied in the neurology department of SCB Medical College and Hospital, here Saturday.
The incident has cast doubts on the claims of the hospital authority of there being round-the-clock attendants for such patients, for which lakhs are being spent by the state. The remuneration of the attendants is paid through the user fees collected from the patients.
Sources said the patient was lying on the verandah of the neurology ward with his hands tied with bandage cloth and tethered to a window grille. It is not an isolated case as such instances have been repeatedly reported from orthopaedic, casualty and other departments.
A similar incident, which exposes the apathy of the authorities towards destitute patients, was reported a few days ago. A woman, abandoned by her husband at SCB, was taken to the house of a hospital official after she recovered and was allegedly forced to work as a maid at his house. The official had allegedly promised her to pay her. However, after 15 days, the official dropped the woman back at the hospital without paying her a single penny. While the official has been transferred to another hospital, the woman is still at the orthopaedic department, it is learnt.
Similarly, a mentally challenged destitute patient had died of drug overdose at SCB in November last year.
When contacted, SCB manager Soumya Mohanty said, “A high-level meeting was held on rehabilitation of the destitute patients. We have discussed with the district collector about their rehabilitation under the social security schemes of the state government.”