A minor girl undergoing treatment at Deogarh district headquarters hospital (DHH) for burn injuries has been writhing in pain since she was allegedly shifted to the general ward from an air-conditioned cabin to facilitate Deogarh MLA Subash Panigrahi.
"She had been receiving treatment in an air-conditioned cabin till the admission of Deogarh legislator. In order to allot the cabin to the MLA, the DHH authorities shifted the girl to the general ward," the worried family members alleged.
“She was recovering fast when she was in the cabin. Upon admission of the MLA, we were shifted to general ward. As of now, her condition is deteriorating. At times, she is crying out of pain. We request the DHH authorities to shift her to the air-conditioned cabin,” said the patient’s grandmother, Jema Nayak.
According to the family members, the girl was sitting near the bonfire on a chill day in February when the fire accidentally caught her frock. Her family members rescued her in a serious condition and rushed her to the Deogarh DHH. After treatment, she was discharged from the hospital. But later when the infection spread, she had to be admitted again.
Meanwhile, the DHH authorities have arranged a cooler for the patient as an alternative arrangement.
“I was not aware of the development. I came to know about it only on Tuesday. I immediately asked the hospital manager to arrange a cooler for the girl. Since we have only one air-conditioned cabin, we didn’t have any alternative,” clarified ADMO Dr Purnachandra Pradhan.
As per the latest information received, MLA Panigrahi has meanwhile been shifted to VIMSAR, Burla as his condition deteriorated.