OPD services resume in Odisha's Ispat super specialty hospital, no word on IPD

IPD yet to start as specialists are seemingly reluctant to join the new facility

The general ward at Rourkela's Ispat General Hospital (Photo | Express)

ROURKELA: Reeling under shortage of medical specialists, the Ispat Post-Graduate Institute and Super Specialty Hospital of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has partly resumed outdoor patient department (OPD) services for a few hours daily.     

After hiring two super specialists and using senior doctors of the RSP-run Ispat General Hospital (IGH), the super speciality facility has started OPD services in cardiology, neurology and nephrology for four hours daily on working days from October 1. RSP hopes to start OPD services for two remaining super specialty branches - cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (CTVS) and neurosurgery soon. 

However, it remains a challenge for the RSP to continue OPD services and simultaneously start indoor-patient department (IPD) as specialists are seemingly reluctant to join the new facility.    

Sources said after failing in its first attempt last year, the super specialty hospital’s governing body Rourkela Ispat Trust on December 4 has floated another advertisement for hiring senior medical professionals with walk-in interview scheduled from December 20 to 24. 

The walk-in interview is meant for contractual appointment of senior consultants in cardiology, CTVS, neurology, neurosurgery, nephrology and cardio-anaesthesia, specialists in radiology, biochemistry, microbiology and chest-pulmonary medicine, physician and surgeon along with medical officers and experienced ICU doctors. 

The infrastructure of the super specialty hospital with provision of 200 beds and sophisticated medical equipment in the first phase, was readied at a cost of around Rs 293 crore following which President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated it on March 21 this year.

Though the new facility on IGH campus was not ready to be made operational in absence of senior doctors, OPD services in three specialised branches were started with stopgap arrangement. However, the service was closed in less than a month before the facility was converted into a designated Covid-19 hospital. 

Former president of RSP Executives’ Association Bimal Bisi reiterated the demand for takeover of the super specialty hospital by AIIMS in larger interest of the people of Rourkela and western Odisha.