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Balasore: Upset over allegations of irregularities at Balasore district headquarters hospital and lack of steps to resolve them, Union Minister Pratap Sarangi along with several people staged a dharna inside the hospital premises on Wednesday.
Speaking about the lapses, Sarangi said, “A doctor at the hospital demanded money from a patient for his Hernia surgery and later asked his family to take him to private nursing home. The patient’s daughter has recorded the entire incident. After I inquired, the operation was conducted today.”
“I had come to meet the CDMO, but he was absent. As soon as I arrived at the hospital, more patients came and narrated about the irregularities. The hospital bed sheets are so dirty that even dogs will hesitate to sleep on them. When I asked the superintendent about this, he said the contractor hasn't brought machines to clean the bed sheets. And when I asked him to provide new bed sheets, he said he will do so tomorrow,” Sarangi narrated.
“The contractor is involved in irregularities and the superintendent is shielding him. I directly asked the superintendent how much money he is taking from the contractor to hide such irregularities. Earlier, I had issued a letter over the issues and asked the superintendent to reply within seven days. However, he has not responded to the letter yet. As he is not taking any measures, I have apprised the collector about this,” Sarangi said.
During the protest, the Union Minister also came across a fraud in dustbin installation work in Nilagiri area of Balasore district. Following Sarangi’s intervention, police detained one employee of a private firm for defrauding people on the pretext of employment.
According to reports, the accused employee of the private firm showed a fake letter and assured people to engage them in dustbin installation work in the village area, and even took a security deposit of Rs 50,000 from people for installing dustbin.
Following a complaint by the villagers, the Union Minister inquired about it and found inconsistencies during a telephonic conversation with the accused. Later, Sarangi handed him over to police. “He thought to deceive people by taking money from them and do business. I immediately intimated an IAS officer about the fraud. The police will inquire about the matter and take action accordingly,” Sarangi said.
