Healthcare worsens at SCB as more docs join stir

The healthcare services at the SCB Medical College Hospital here have been severely affected as the junior doctors of the hospital are on a cease-work strike for over a week now. The situation has further aggravated after the Senior Residents and House Surgeons of the hospital joined the strike boycotting their duties.

The 450-strong Junior Doctor Association is on agitation since February 19 demanding immediate transfer of the hospital’s Urology Department head Datteswar Hota. Over 100 Senior Residents joined the strike from Saturday while 150 House Surgeons too began boycotting their duties from Sunday.

Accusing Prof Hota of harassing and committing atrocities on them, the Junior Doctors have alleged that Hota was forcing them to work in his private hospital and take care of his personal work.

If anybody refuses to follow his diktat, he or she was threaded of getting adverse marks in exams. He had been doing this for long.

An in-house inquiry committee has prima facie found the allegations made against Hota to be true after collecting evidences from the complainants. The committee had submitted its report to the State Government on February 22 along with the evidences, but the Government has not yet acted on it even as the hospital situation is worsening by the day.

“When the main working forces of the hospital are on strike, the healthcare facilities have obviously gone haywire in the Hospital”, said a hospital staff refusing to be quoted. Hospital Superintendent Shyama Kanungo, however, said that the situation is grim but under control.

Meanwhile, some members of civil society have urged the Odisha Human Rights Commission to intervene and direct the Government to resolve the hospital impasse at the earliest.

They said that mainly the BPL patients are suffering a lot as they are unable to go to a private hospital for treatment.  

The hospital has drastically reduced in taking up fresh cases as treatment of indoor patients and scheduled surgeries have already suffered due to the ongoing strike.

Since the doctors are on strike, indoor patients of the Hospital have also started moving out in search of private hospitals for better treatment.