Opposition Fires Salvo At Odisha Govt Over COVID-19 Mismanagement

Bhubaneswar: Opposition parties on Sunday once again lashed out at the Odisha government alleging massive mismanagement of the COVID-19 situation after the death of one more person in the State due to alleged medical negligence.

As per reports, a woman brought her husband to a COVID Hospital in Bhawanipatna under Kalahandi district for treatment. But as per the allegations, despite presence of all the staff nurses and doctors at the hospital, nobody cared to admit the ailing man and he finally succumbed in the ambulance outside the hospital gates.

This is not the lone case. In fact, there are many such allegations from all corners of the State.

Steel City Rourkela on Sunday witnessed a protest by staff nurses of a COVID hospital where they demonstrated against the 'delay' in compensating the family of a COVID warrior, a fellow staff nurse who was martyred in the line of duty.

A protesting nurse alleged, “We get only Rs10,500 as remuneration and it is negligible looking at the work we do. We do not have any health insurance. A colleague of us died, but nothing has been paid to her family till now.”

While the district administration of Kalahandi denied the allegations of medical negligence in Bhawanipatna case, the staff nurses in Rourkela withdrew their protest only after the Additional District Magistrate assured them of meeting their demands as soon as possible.

The sorry state of affairs of COVID management did not end here. A serious allegation of stealing cash and other valuables including jewellery from a man who died of the virus rocked the capital city of Bhubaneswar recently.

Sources said, one Bibhuti Bhusan Dixit from Baripada was brought to a Bhubaneswar based COVID hospital for treatment after contracting Coronavirus.

However, he died after two days while undergoing treatment. As per the norms, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities took the body for cremation but did not allegedly hand over the cash he was carrying with him at the time of admission to the hospital along with other jewellery and a mobile phone to the family.

Dixit’s son, Nanda Kishore alleged, “We cannot find the valuables he was carrying at the time of admission. I suspect somebody from the hospital might have stolen them. I will lodge a complaint with police in 2-3 days.”

However, no comments could be obtained from the hospital authorities in this regard.

On these series of COVID mismanagement allegations, Congress MLA Suresh Routray said that the COVID mismanagement will lead to a major stir in Odisha if the government does not mend its ways.

BJP’s Lekhashree Samantsinghar went a step ahead and equated the ruling-BJD rule with Adolf Hitler who ruled Nazi Germany.

No comments could be obtained from the government officials in this regard.

(Edited By Pradeep Singh)

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