SAMBALPUR: Junior doctors of VIMSAR, who are on cease work demanding removal of Director of the institution Ashwini Pujahari, have decided to start a parallel out patient department (OPD) on VIMSAR premises from Monday.Addressing mediapersons here on Saturday, vice-president of JDA, Himanshu Mishra said they will start the parallel OPD to ensure that healthcare does not get affected in VIMSAR, which is the tertiary health centre of Western Odisha. However, the doctors will continue their cease work till fulfilment of their demand.
They have alleged that poor and helpless patients are being harassed and humiliated by Pujahari. Besides, unwarranted and unapproved experimental surgeries are being conducted on poor and destitute patients without their consent and clearance of ethical committee.
The JDA members also complained that attempts to create unrest in VIMSAR are being made by some self-proclaimed social workers with the support of Pujahari. Their another allegation was that Pujahari was threatening the undergraduate and postgraduate students to implicate them in false cases and ruin their career besides misbehaving with girl students in the name of moral policing.
Demanding his removal, they have resorted to cease work since November 17, affecting health services.
A four-member team including Additional Secretaries of Health Department, BB Dash and Sarat Chandra Mishra; Director of Health Department, Hara Prasad Pattnaik and Joint Director of DMET, Umakanta Satpathy, had visited VIMSAR to examine veracity of the allegations.
The team members met Pujahari, JDA representatives, president of Odisha Medical Teachers’ Association Kailash Agrawal and representatives of Milita Nagarika Kriyanusthan Committee separately. Mishra said the team inquired about the allegations and the doctors submitted documentary evidence to substantiate their allegations. The agitation has badly affected health services in VIMSAR.