Berhampur: The Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital (MKCG) here caters to the needs of patients from Puri, Gajapati, Kandhamal and Khurda districts and the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
The State government has also been spending crores of rupees towards basic healthcare facilities to the people through the facility. A major part of the spending goes towards payment of salaries to its doctors.
Also, in order to curb the inclination of doctors towards private nursing homes and to bring transparency in the healthcare, the hospital authorities have introduced biometric attendance system and CCTV surveillance system on the MKCG hospital premises.
However, the safeguards have become a mockery as the doctors after registering their fingerprints at the entry point are allegedly leaving through the backdoors within minutes of making their presence felt at the hospital.
It is alleged that the doctors are spending the rest of their working hours in private nursing homes, for the lure of earning more money. These high-salaried doctors of MKCG Hospital are treating patients at private nursing homes, it is alleged.
Surprisingly, neither the district administration nor the MKCG hospital authorities have evinced interest in sorting out the issue. It is alleged that, the doctors are playing truant by handing over charge to the postgraduate students.
According to Abani Gaya, the convener of Manab Adhikaar Surakhya Manch, a local outfit, “Doctors are inclined towards private nursing homes for money. We have protested against such practice several times, but in vain”.
Reacting to this, the dean and principal of MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Dr Radhamadhab Tripathy said, “We have put up biometric attendance system along with CCTV surveillance system, in order to bring transparency to patient care”.
However, action was taken against some truant doctors found guilty in recent times, Tripathy added.
PNN
