KOLKATA: Former CPI-M MLA Dibakar Hansda was admitted to a state-run district hospital on the condition that he would have to lie on the floor, his family has said. Hansda’s family members alleged that he was not even given a mattress, and they had to buy a plastic sheet and spread it on the floor for him.
Hansda posted his plight on social media. He said he underwent almost 28 hours of torment, before he was given a bed. Hansda was admitted to the hospital for gall bladder surgery.
Hansda was one of the CPI-M MLAs who won in the 2011 Assembly elections when many heavyweights of the party, including former chief minister Budhhadeb Bhattacharjee, were defeated by the strong anti-incumbency wave spearheaded by present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Hansda served as an elected representative in the backward region between 2011 and 2016.
The former MLA arrived at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital on Sunday with his relatives. “Before his admission, we were told that there was no bed available. The hospital officials said if we could make arrangements for him to sleep on the floor, he would be admitted. We agreed,’’ a relative said, alleging that the hospital authorities did not even bother to provide a mattress. “We went to a nearby shop and purchased a plastic sheet for him to lie on,’’ he added.
Another relative recorded the plight on his cellphone and uploaded it on a social media platform. “After it went viral, many condemned the behaviour of the hospital authorities and criticised the government’s claim of a model healthcare facility in the state. The video clip finally caught the attention of the authorities,’’ said another relative.
Asked about the issue, hospital principal Panchanan Kundu said, “There is no facility for VIP patients in this healthcare centre. As soon as a bed was available, the ward in-charge arranged it for Hansda.’