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The Orissa High Court tightened its oversight of SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack, directing the state Health and Family Welfare Department to take strict measures against absentee doctors and ensure accountability in patient care.
A division bench of Justices SK Sahoo and V Narasingh, while hearing the matter on Friday, expressed concern that some doctors were neglecting their government duty to attend private clinics.
The court ordered the formation of an additional inspection team comprising senior officials not below the rank of deputy secretary. This team will carry out surprise visits at the hospital and submit sealed reports directly to the bench for review.
Court Tracks Staffing and Vacancies
The court took on record an affidavit filed by SCBMCH superintendent Prof. Goutam Kumar Satpathy, who appeared virtually and outlined the staffing challenges at the state’s premier medical institution.
According to the affidavit, 87 faculty posts remain vacant, including 15 professors, 33 associate professors, 16 assistant professors, and 23 senior residents or tutors.
The report further detailed that OPD duty hours for doctors run from 9 am to 5 pm, with emergency and diagnostic services available round-the-clock.
Daily ward rounds, including on holidays, are mandated to ensure in-patient care. The matter has been listed for further monitoring on September 18, when the next compliance report will be reviewed.
Parallel Focus on Critical Services
The absenteeism issue comes close on the heels of another SCB-related case, in which the High Court had recently pressed the state government over the revival of the hospital’s bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit.
The unit had been non-functional since February, following the retirement of its chief transplant physician, leaving Odisha without an active public facility for free transplants.
In response, the government assured the court that services would resume soon under the mentorship of Dr. Prabodh Kumar Das, a retired haematology expert from AIIMS. He will serve as an honorary mentor to guide existing faculty, who currently lack the confidence to conduct independent transplant procedures.
