BERHAMPUR: Patient care was affected for over four hours in several wards of MKCG Medical College and Hospital (MCH) on Friday following a clash between house surgeons and nursing staff.
The face-off between the two groups reportedly took place on Thursday night over the examination of a patient in the Casualty department. Sources said the house surgeon on duty in the Casualty ward asked the staff nurse to conduct some tests on a patient. However, the nurse reportedly forgot to perform the tests. This led to a heated argument between the duo.
On Friday morning, two groups of house surgeons and nursing staff staged dharna in front of the hospital superintendent’s office over the incident. Soon, a scuffle broke out as members of both the groups attacked each other. Sources said nurse Suprabha Behera and house surgeon U Sabat sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.
As the situation turned ugly, police rushed to the spot. Hospital superintendent Prof S Mishra admitted that the nursing staff and house surgeons did not join duty for around four hours. However, he said emergency services in the hospital were not affected as senior doctors managed the affairs of patients.
Mishra further said there was a professional disagreement between house surgeons and nursing staff. When asked about the action taken on the warring groups, the superintendent avoided the question.
Later in the evening, a meeting was held with representatives of both the groups in presence of hospital authorities and police. Mishra said the dispute was resolved amicably. Both groups arrived at a compromise.
Meanwhile, local BJP leader Ram Kumar Patra and senior advocates Jyoti Prasad and Pitabas Panda demanded action against house surgeons and nursing staff involved in the incident. “Exemplary action should be taken against both the groups for putting patient safety at risk,” they added.