JEYPORE: Twenty-Eight deaths in just three days have put Koraput’s Sahid Laxman Naik Medical College and Hospital (SLNMCH) under scanner.Between November 27 and 29, as many 28 patients died in the MCH which caters to the healthcare needs of the tribal population in south Odisha. Over 700 patients from Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts visit the medical college and hospital daily.
Hospital sources said 13 deaths were reported on November 27 followed by six casualties the next day. At least nine deaths were recorded on November 29. Sixteen of the deceased were admitted to the MCH from different referral hospitals. The rest 12 patients succumbed while undergoing treatment.
As per the data available in the MCH, five patients fell to kidney failure, three died of liver dysfunction, five of head injuries, four of cardiovascular causes and two of poisoning. Another three died of malaria; two succumbed to hypo-pneumonia and as many to hypo-volemic shock and birth asphyxia.
The spate of deaths has not only put healthcare system in the MCH back in focus but also sparked panic among patients and their attendants. A native of Tikri village, Gourva Hantal said he has decided to take his ailing mother to a private hospital in Visakhapatnam instead of admitting her to the MCH. “I cannot take any chances with my mother here,’ he said. Sources said shortage of medical staff and beds is a persisting problem in the MCH.
Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said it is unfortunate that 28 deaths have been reported in SLNMCH in just three days. The state government should wake up to the sorry state of affairs in the hospital, he added.
Superintendent of the MCH Sitaram Mohapatra confirmed the death of 28 patients. He said all the patients who succumbed came to the hospital in a serious condition. “There was no neglect from our side. All the patients were given proper treatment as per the requirement in the hospital,” he claimed.