BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Friday de-empanelled Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital at Bhubaneswar, four days after a fire mishap in the private hospital claimed 24 lives.
The Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) has intimated the Medical Superintendent of the hospital about the de-empanelment of health facility.
“In the wake of the fire incident in IMS and SUM Hospital on October 17 and disarray in the treatment of patients in the hospital, it has been decided by the Government to de-empanel the hospital with immediate effect,” the DMET order stated.
“Since the proposed de-empanelment is resorted under exceptional circumstances in the interest of poor patients of the State, the formality of one month notice as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has not been adhere to,” the order added.
Earlier, SUM Hospital was an empanelled health facility under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF).
While the City police had arrested four employees of the hospital including the Medical Superintendent on Tuesday, principal promoter of the health institution Dr Manoj Ranjan Nayak had surrendered before the police in the wee hours on Thursday.
The police on Friday took Nayak on two-day remand for interrogation. He is being interrogated at an isolated location.
Meanwhile, with three more patients succumbing at the hospitals where they were undergoing treatment, the death toll in connection with the hospital inferno touched 24.
The deceased have been identified as Biswanath Behera of Dumduma area in Bhubaneswar, Rashmita Swain of Balipada area in Puri district and Sk Qurban of Khurda. While Behera and Swain died at Capital hospital, Qurban succumbed at SCB Medical College and Hospital during treatment.
On the day of incident, 19 persons had reportedly died of asphyxiation triggered by the blaze.