CUTTACK: The SCB medical college and hospital management has disengaged three outsourcing employees and issued show cause notice to seven nursing staff for celebrating Holi inside the trauma ICU of the premier healthcare centre on Saturday.
The on-duty staff reportedly created commotion and even played with colours right inside the critical care unit despite the fact that over 15 accident victims were undergoing treatment at the ICU. Some of them were also on ventilator support.
The incident had triggered discontentment among the patients’ attendants but they had chosen to stay silent apprehending hampering the healthcare services. Later, some of them took to X to apprise the matter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Health minister Mukesh Mahaling, demanding a high-level probe into the matter and appropriate action against the errant staff.
However, the hospital authorities were compelled to initiate a probe into the matter after a video of the Holi celebration went viral on social media. The doctors, nursing staff, attendants, housekeeping staff and security personnel on duty at the trauma centre on the Holi day were quizzed as part of the investigation.
Basing on the probe outcome, three staff were dismissed. While two of those were attendants, one was a security guard. They were employed at the hospital via an outsourcing agency. The seven others are permanent employees.
“Action was taken basing on the findings and information provided by the other staff who were present when the incident took place. Three outsourcing staff including a security personnel and two attendants have been terminated from service while seven nursing staff issued show cause notice,” said hospital superintendant Dr Lucy Das adding, anyone found guilty would not be spared.