ROURKELA: A day after President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Ispat PG Medical Institute and Super Specialty Hospital, CITU leaders on Monday lodged an angry protest at the new facility alleging denial of treatment and unavailability of specialist doctors.
CITU national vice-president Bishnu Mohanty, his Odisha counterpart Jehangir Ali and several other leaders had gone to the new hospital but were allegedly denied entry by security guards.
As the main entrance was closed, the irate leaders reacted angrily by pushing the gate and even had a heated exchange with the security guards.
Mohanty claimed that the CITU leaders visited the super speciality hospital to avail consultation services and treatment for different health conditions but found only one neurologist there.
No other specialist doctor was available there while para-medical and technical staff to run sophisticated medical equipment were also absent.
Later, the situation was brought under control after the CITU leaders held discussion with the authorities. Mohanty said during the talks, CITU leaders argued that as the new facility was built with Central grants, it should provide free treatment to retired and existing RSP employees and can charge only Rs 10 from private patients. They also demanded to dissolve the trust and immediate takeover of the hospital by AIIMS.
In the meeting, the IGH authorities led by RSP executive director Raj Vir Singh reportedly assured the CITU leaders to take up their grievances with higher authorities.
Additional SP SK Behera said security has been beefed up at the super speciality hospital and refuted the reports of ransacking of the new facility.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Birmitrapur MLA Shankar Oram and BMS members staged a two-hour protest at Sector-19 police station demanding arrest of the CITU leaders and others involved in the fiasco at the super speciality hospital.