CUTTACK: In yet another incident exposing the inefficiency of the SCB medical college and hospital (SCBMCH) management in monitoring its employees, a staff in charge of the helpdesk of battery-operated vehicles (BOV) was found sleeping while on duty even as the landline phones kept ringing for service.
The matter came to light after a video of the same went viral on social media on Monday. In the video, the staff concerned was found in deep sleep despite the phone ringing repeatedly.
Sources said a patient’s family members were trying to contact the helpdesk to avail the BOV service. However, when their calls went unanswered, the patient’s relatives reached the helpdesk only to find the staff sleeping. They then recorded a video of the same and posted it on social media.
As per reports, the hospital, touted to be the premier government-run medical facility in the state, has 20 battery-operated vehicles to transport patients to different wards and diagnostic centres.
However, the patients’ families are often unable to avail the service and rely on stretchers or worse, physically carrying their patients on their shoulders, as calls to the helpdesk for booking the facility either go unanswered or remain busy.
SCB Rogi Suraksha Manch president Suresh Mohanty alleged the facility is out of reach for patients as the irresponsible staff ignore the calls or simply place the handset off the base unit on the table so that the connection remains busy.
“The video shows the irresponsibility of the authorities concerned in monitoring the staff,” he added.
Mohanty opined that if the hospital authorities are unable to physically supervise the staff, they should set up a command control room and monitor their activities through CCTV.
SCBMCH superintendent Gautam Satapathy could not be reached for his comments on the matter.
Recently, the hospital had faced severe backlash after a video purportedly showing a female patient falling off her bed in the medicine department ICU went viral on social media. The incident raised concern about the quality of healthcare delivery system and monitoring of patients by the doctors and staff at the hospital.