The UTP, identified as Mirata Singh of Nayagarh, who was arrested on charges of Ganja smuggling, was admitted to the Covid ward at the MKCG in Berhampur on July 31. He was found missing from the ward in the early hours of Saturday, hospital authorities said.
According to reports, Singh was lodged at Baliguda Sub jail after his arrest where he complained of breathlessness following dipping of his oxygen levels due to Covid infection. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment. After a week-long treatment, he recovered and was about to be discharged.
Prof Santosh Kumar Mishra, Superintendent, MKCG Medical College and Hospital said, "Two police personnel who had accompanied Singh to the hospital were guarding the prisoner. We have informed the police regarding the custody break."
The CCTV footage will be examined on how he managed to escape, he added.
According to reports, three guards including two armed police personnel and a jail warder were in the charge of his security.
The police personnel said that they were doing their duty outside the ward due to restriction in entry. Taking advantage of his recovery and absence of police, he managed to flee.
Meanwhile, police have launched a search to trace the escaped prisoner.
The hospital with all the modern facilities was funded by the company but will be managed by the Odisha government.
Patnaik opened the medical facility through a virtual programme in the presence of Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal and other company officials.
Set up under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the COVID hospital at Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters, has 200 beds, 16 intensive care units (ICUs) and as many high dependency units (HDUs) with ventilator support.
The hospital has a ward for treatment of coronavirus- positive children, which is the first of its kind in Odisha, the company said.
Vedanta has also set up an oxygen plant on the hospital campus to augment and sustain the supply of life- saving gas to patients.
Inaugurating the facility, Patnaik congratulated the people of Kalahandi, doctors, health professionals, ASHA and Anganwadi workers for fighting against the raging second wave of COVID-19.
"We must remain prepared for the third wave. I thank Vedanta management for their support in establishing the 200- bed hospital at Bhawanipatna. Kalahandi has witnessed a significant change in the last two decades," the chief minister said.
Agarwal said the company has a long and enriching association with Odisha and its people.
"With operations in underserved regions like Kalahandi and Jharsuguda, we have taken our social responsibility seriously and become a partner of the state government to its socio-economic development activities. The COVID hospital in Kalahandi is our humble dedication to the people of Odisha," he said.
The proactive measures taken by the state government, such as collaboration with Panchayati Raj Institutions and community-based response strategy, have been instrumental in COVID management in the state, Vedanta Ltd Deputy CEO (Aluminium Business) Rahul Sharma said.
He also stated the company will continue to extend its support and resources to aid the state government and district administrations in this critical situation.
The company said it has already vaccinated nearly 30,000 people in its ecosystem, including employees, business partners and their family members residing in Odisha.
The aluminium major also said it continues to support the district COVID hospital at Jharsuguda with ICU beds, ventilators, specialised medical equipment, and ambulance. PTI COR AAM BDC
These heartwarming visuals coming in from MKCG Hospital in Berhampur promise to eradicate the stigma associated with Covid to much extent. The staff at the hospital can be seen going the EXTRA MILE to ensure patients' well-being. These visuals touch hearts and instill HOPE. Wearing PPE kits, the hospital staff are seen helping patients in their personal chores.
They are trying their best to provide CARE and COMFORT to Covid patients. Patients also formed a bond with their CAREGIVERS. In these TOUGH TIMES, such endearing efforts have garnered a lot of admiration.
The videos and photos purportedly showing mismanagement and negligence at Baripada Covid hospital have shaken conscience at a time when the State government claims to have opened its coffers for the treatment of Covid patients as succor to the suffering masses in the cusp of the deadly pandemic wave.
In the videos and photos, some patients are seen lying on beds and floor of the hospital with little or no cloth on them while no nurses or doctors to attend to them.
An attendant, while raising questions over the government claims of smooth Covid management, alleged the mismanagement at the Baripada hospital where he reportedly lost one of his relatives a few days ago.
“Patients are left unattended. Many of them are forced to lye on ground. Some of them are also seen sleeping in front of the toilet. No bed-sheets, pillows are provided to the patients. Oxygen services seem to be a dream here. No nurses, doctors are attending or treating the patients,” alleged Bibhudatta Dash who lost his relative due to Covid on May 23.
Some of the patients are also seen lying on the beds in semi-nude condition, he stated.
"Huge amount of money is claimed to have been spent on Covid patients. Where is the money?" Dash asked.
Patients are dying only because of medical negligence and gross mismanagement in Covid hospital, he further alleged.
Dash, a resident of Palabani in Mayurbhanj district, said he had admitted his relative at the Covid hospital on May 22.
A day after, his family members received a call from the hospital that the patient succumbed to the virus, he said.
A few days later the video clips showing the unsavory scenes at the Covid treatment centre went viral on social media platforms.
The district administration, however, feigned ignorance about the happenings at the hospital and sought to rubbish thr allegations.
“We will soon install CCTV cameras at Covid hospitals so that we can monitor the activities inside. As far as my knowledge goes, all the Covid care centres and hospitals are functioning smoothly. We investigate immediately if any allegations come to our knowledge,” Collector Veenit Bharadwaj said.
The heart wrenching incident has been reported from Belapada in Binika area of Sonepur district.
55-year-old Dasarathy Behera of Belapada had tested positive for the covid-19 and has been under medical supervision for the last eight day at the health institute.
On the other hand, his 74-year-old mother Susila Behera who was under home quarantine after being diagnosed with covid positive on May 9, succumbed to the virus on Wednesday.
However, neither her relatives nor did the neighbors come forward to lend shoulders and perform the funeral rites, a mark of dignity to the dead person.
After abandoning the body for almost 12 hours, the villagers informed the Binika NAC authorities to take it for cremation.
“We received the information regarding the body lying unattended. We are making arrangements for performing her last rites,” Binika executive officer in-charge Niranjan Naik said.
Similar incidents of covid patients’ bodies having been left untouched by relatives are occurring everywhere in the State, encouraging social stigma and degradation of social values.
As per the initial reports, the fire was caused by an electric short circuit in the DG room.
Following the outbreak of the fire, the firefighters deployed in temporary camps at the hospital premises swung into action and doused the blaze before it could spread to the hospital wards. District Collector Gyana Das, SP Charan Singh Meena rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation.
Though no major damage was reported in the blaze, the power supply to the COVID ward was disrupted causing inconvenience to more than 80 patients admitted there.
As per the latest reports, the officials of the electricity department are on the spot to replace the cables and restore the power supply in the hospital.
Speaking to the media, Collector Gyana Das said, “There is no fire inside the hospital or the COVID ward. It was a minor accident caused by burning of some old cables in the DG room which are being replaced now.”
In the letter, Union Minister Sarangi requested Patnaik to send proposal to set up a COVID care Hospital with Oxygen beds and ICU beds by DRDO at Balasore in larger public interest.
“I would like to bring to your kind notice that the DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India has been contributing significantly to augment the national efforts to fight the COVID surge by way of establishing COVID Hospitals in several parts of the Country. The DRDO has made makeshift hospitals with the ICU beds, oxygen beds and normal beds for COVID patients in consultation with the state health authorities. DRDO may consider any new proposal to set up a COVID care facility provided the concerned State Government recommends the same with commitment to provide basic needs for setting up of such facility,” he wrote.
“As you are aware, Balasore, with its famed Integrated Test Range (ITR) is a major hub of DRDO and over the years, it has acquired a seamless interface with the civilian population of the area. During the hours of need, the DRDO has always stood for the well-being of the people of Balasore. Besides, Balasore has been witnessing significant rise in COVID cases during the current wave and its geographical location as a border district has contributed to its growing vulnerabilities. As such, due to absence of critical COVID care facility at Balasore, the patients are being taken to Bhubaneswar/ Cuttack, thus putting further pressure on the existing COVID care facility,” Sarangi stated.
“In view of above, I request your good self to kindly have a proposal sent from the State Government to the Ministry of Defence with the recommendation to set up a COVID care Hospital with Oxygen beds and ICU beds by DRDO at Balasore in larger public interest,” the letter read.
Similarly, Sundergarh MP Jual Oram wrote to Patnaik requesting him to send proposal to the Union Ministry to set up two Covid care hospitals in Sundergarh and Rourkela.
“I am given to understand that the DRDO had set up some few temporary COVID Hospitals at some places and some more COVID Hospitals are going to be set up shortly. It is also learnt that the DRDO will be setting up 500 Medical Oxygen Plants (MOPs) across the country within three months under the PM CARES ,PrIme Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund, the letter read.
“I would like that two projects at the below mentioned places may kindly be taken up in my Sundergarh Parliamentary Constituency of Odisha as Sundergarh is one of the worst affected areas of Odisha - The Covid care facility can be set up at NTPC Medical College and Hospital in Sundergarh with I00 ICU Beds and one Medical Oxygen Plant and IGH Super Speciality Hospital in Rourkela with 200 ICU beds,” the letter stated.
The phone call recording between the hospital help desk and the nephew of the deceased that went viral on social media platforms provides a peek into the other side of Odisha’s dwindling healthcare system that has very conveniently been portrayed a rosy picture in front of the State.
As per reports, Karanveer Ray from Hatatota, Talcher was admitted to a private hospital under Infocity police limits after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 25. For the next two days, his relatives ran from pillar to post to get health updates of Karanveer, but in vain. Even after Karanveer’s reported death on April 27, the hospital authorities allegedly did not provide any information to his son Manoj Ray, who had to lodge a complaint at the Infocity police station following which it came to fore that Karanveer died on April 27 itself.
However, Manoj’s ordeal did not end there. As per the allegations, despite Karanveer testing negative just before his death on April 27, the hospital authorities denied Manoj to handover the body, thereby depriving Karanveer a proper funeral.
“Narrating the incident, a grief stricken Manoj said, “A call was made to my cousin while we were returning from my father’s 10th-day death ritual informing about his health. The caller from the hospital said my father’s oxygen saturation level is at 97% and he is doing well. When my cousin told him that Karanveer has already died 10 days back while under treatment at their hospital, the caller disconnected the call.”
Bringing serious allegations of medical negligence behind his father's death, Manoj has registered an FIR and also wrote to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The incident that drew backlash from all quarters of society is just the tip of an iceberg. A woman from Pichukoli in Khordha was allegedly made to wait outside of a COVID hospital at Kalinga Vihar in Bhubaneswar for two days. “I was told to call the helpline number mentioned here, but nobody is picking up the calls since two days. I want to know the condition of my husband, so that I can transfer him to another hospital with better facilities, if needed,” she alleged while waiting outside the hospital gate.
Similarly, Divyasingh Moharana from Jatani could not find any information about his uncle admitted at a COVID hospital in Bhubaneswar until his death. “I do not know what kind of treatment they are providing there in the COVID ward. I wanted to know whether my uncle was provided with oxygen support and other life saving medicines, but I could not know as attendants are not allowed inside a COVID ward and the helpline numbers are useless,” rued Moharana.
Speaking about the alleged mismanagement, the outgoing Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said, “The hospitals are short-staffed as well. So,we have decided to set up our own help desk in all hospitals under BMC’s jurisdiction.”
The incident triggered serious concern among fellow patients, attendants and locals after the video of the scene went viral on social media.
A woman, who shot the video inside the ICU of the special Covid hospital in Nabarangpur and posted it on social media, alleged that the infected patient died at around 1 pm but no staff of the health centre paid attention to remove the body and made vacant the ICU bed. The woman claimed that the body was left unattended till late night.
On the other hand, the hospital workers were seen doing their routine job including distribution of food to the other patients in the ward for dinner even as the body was lying close to them.
After repeated complaints, some hospital workers packed the body and removed it from the ICU at around 9 pm.
The hospital manager, however, denied the allegation. She said the man who died during treatment in the ICU was a relative of a hospital staff.
“He died at 5 pm during treatment. Discharge of the body was delayed for some time due to unavailability of packing materials,” manager Rupasi Nayak said.
Some patients under treatment were diabetic in the same ward. So, they were given the dinner items as they were advised to take insulin in proper time, she added.
“Apart from the present 145 bedded hospital for treatment of Covid patients, we are preparing to set up another special Covid hospital in partnership with the SUM Hospital which will have 20 ICU, 40 high dependency units, and 90 other general oxygen beds,” Collector Verma informed.
He also admitted that RT PCR testing in the district has come to a grinding halt due to glitches in testing centre since April 23.
However, the collector mentioned that the number of rapid antigen tests have been augmented. He further informed that people having severe symtoms are being admitted to hospitals for appropriate treatment.
“The officials at the RTPCR testing centre were unable to maintain the negative pressure condition at its lab facility leading to a halt in the sample testing for the past few days. But a technical team of RMRC, Bhubaneswar in working to fix the problem. We expect the unit to become functional within a day or two,” said Verma.
Manasi Jena, a nurse working at the newly-set up SUM Covid19 hospital left her family 15 days back to attend the call of duty. Manasi's eyes moistened remembering her little child she has left at home. But still she hangs on without flinching an inch from her duty.
Also Read: Over 30,000 Doctors Volunteer To Join Fight Against COVID-19
"I haven't seen my little son for the past 15 days. I don't want to break down at this juncture of my life where my services are most needed for the people. I will go on serving people as long as possible," said Manasi while wiping her tears off.
"I pray before God that nobody gets infected with Coronavirus and the people already infected get well soon," added Manasi.
Days away from their loved ones may bring tears to their eyes, but it has not dampened their spirit!
Story of #CoronaWarriors from #Odisha #OdishaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/VtGkCDfG00
— OTV (@otvnews) April 7, 2020
Doctor Basant Pati of the same hospital took a leaf out of the pages of epic Mahabharat to describe their fight. "This is a war we are fighting against the Kauravas. We will emerge victorious sooner than later," he said.
Similarly, Dr. Ambika stationed at AIIMS Delhi comes face to face with the Coronavirus everyday at her hospital. One of her colleagues is infected with Coronavirus, but she still works with all her zest in a mission mode.
Also Read: CM Naveen Patnaik Urges Doctors To Support Odisha’s COVID-19 Telemedicine Helpline
"I want my family to know that I am strong enough to handle this pressure," said a lachrymose Ambika.
Medicine Specialist Monalisa Mohanty working at a COVID19 hospital in Rourkela said, "It is scary, but it is also our duty. The only worry for me is my family. So when I get back home, I ensure that I take all precautionary measures to disinfect myself."
Lalita Mohanty, Monalisa's mother, was however quite happy with all the efforts of her daughter in the fight against COVID19.
In 18th Century French writer and philosopher, Voltaire's words, doctors are "Those who are occupied in the restoration of health to others, by the joint exertion of skill and humanity, are above all the great of the earth. They even partake of divinity, since to preserve and renew is almost as noble as to create.”
On the World Health Day today, these sound more than just words, they resound like an ode to the warriors of our times.
Responding to media queries on COVID19 hospitals, Development Commissioner, Suresh Mohapatra informed that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had directed for establishment of 35 dedicated hospitals when the State had reported one or two confirmed cases. So far, 24 hospitals with 3,951 beds & 293 ICU beds have already been made functional while remaining 11 COVID hospitals will become functional by April 20, Mohapatra informed.
“COVID hospitals are also being set up in districts which have not reported any positive cases. All the dedicated COVID hospitals have come up in Odisha in the last 20 to 25 days. The reason for having dedicated hospitals is to ensure that treatment of confirmed cases is done in a professional manner and medical staff and patients coming to other general hospitals are not exposed to the virus,” Mohapatra added.
All the doctors, nurses, service providers engaged in COVID19 hospitals have been provided adequate training while there is no shortage of PPE for them. The State government has also made accommodation arrangements for the doctors, nurses and other medical staff engaged in the treatment of COVID19 patients, Mohapatra informed.
Mohapatra further informed that testing capacity in the state has increased to 1,200 to 1,300 per day and efforts are on to ensure that tests are conducted at district level on a large scale basis. “Random samples will also be collected to know the exact number of positive cases in the State. In the last one month, people have voluntarily supported and are following social distancing norms," Mohapatra informed.
The deceased Krushna Gobinda Bisoyi (27) is a resident of Baduka village under Dharakote block in Ganjam district.
He was reportedly tested positive for the virus on May 11 and immediately shifted to a COVID hospital. He breathed his last during treatment.
According to Surat Health department, Gobinda was staying with his family in Dharti Nagar area on Ashwin Kumar Road there.
On the other hand, a 72-year-old man who returned from Kolkata yesterday, died at Bayabanapur quarantine centre in Bhadrak. When his condition worsened at the QC, he was rushed to the district headquarters hospital only to be declared dead by the doctors.
The deceased had co-morbidities and was suffering from various ailments, informed the on-duty doctor.
In the meantime, a case has been registered against Surat Police in connection with the death of Odia migrant Satyaban Swain of Baruda village in Bhanjanagar police limits of Ganjam district. Two days after Swain succumbed to injuries that he allegedly suffered following a lathi-charge by police in Surat, his elder brother Santosh lodged a complaint with Bhanjanagar police seeking action against the erring police personnel.
Ganjam SP informed that the accused cops have been booked under IPC section 304 while the case would be transferred to Surat Police for further investigation.
“Police picked him up from the factory premises and brutally thrashed him. He died while being taken to the hospital. Both police and the administration are responsible for his death,” Santosh Kumar Swain, the brother of the deceased had alleged.
Narrating the incident, Satyaban's wife Pratima said, "I called him (Satyaban) but his cell phone was switched off. When I called up one of his acquaintances, he informed me that police assaulted my husband and he was in the hospital."
Also Read: Migrant Worker Dies In Quarantine Centre In Odisha
Also Read: Political Blame Game Erupts In Odisha Over Covid Spike After Migrants’ ‘Homecoming’
According to the agitating nurses, they were forced to stage a demonstration as the authorities denied COVID test.
“Already two of our colleagues have tested positive for COVID-19 and we want that our swab samples to be collected for tests. Similarly, we are demanding pay equivalent of what is being given to nurses engaged for COVID testing,” said an agitating nurse.
According to the nurses, they have already completed 15-day duty and the authorities have informed that swabs will only be collected for symptomatic cases.
Balasore Collector, K Sudarshan Chakraborty informed that two nurses engaged in COVID hospital have contracted infection and both of them have now kept in isolation in COVID hospital.
“The swab samples of the two nurses were collected after they developed symptoms. Later, their reports came positive for COVID-19. As per protocol, the first batch of doctors, nurses and other paramedic staff are now on 14-day quarantine,” said Chakraborthy.
Also Read: COVID19: Ward-Level Committees For Grassroots Surveillance In Odisha
(Edited by Bikram Jena)
Fearing that the unexpected increase of patients in Covid Hospital in Jeypore may create problem in near future in providing better treatment, Ulaka suggested making necessary arrangements at HAL, Sunabeda for giving in time treatment to the patients suffering with coronavirus infection.
The MP proposed the concerned authorities to establish a 200-bedded hospital at HAL for the greater interest of the district and also requested them to take effective measures in this regard.
Meanwhile, sources said the HAL authorities have started initiating measures for the same.
On Thursday, as many as four persons, including a BSF jawan were tested positive with Covid-19 in Koraput district. While the BSF jawan had a travel history to Bihar and was lodged at a Covid care facility, the other three were local contact cases of Bunakar Sahi in Koraput Town.
Meanwhile, the district administration has declared Bunakar Sahi area in the town into containment zone.
Worth mentioning, the district reported its first Covid case on April 28 and the total number of cases reached 194 with the fresh four cases yesterday.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
Read More:
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An existing hospital - Aditya Ashwini Hospital in Chandrasekharpur area - has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital increasing the total beds in the DCHs in the city to 1,175 and the total ICU beds to 115.
The new hospital has a provision of 150 beds including 30 ICU beds and 21 high dependency units (HDU), the official said.
Bhubaneswar has so far reported 2,150 COVID-19 cases of which 1,125 are active cases, while 1,011 people have recovered from the disease and 12 have died.
The KIMS COVID Hospital in the city has got 500 beds including 45 ICU beds, the IMS-SUM Hospital has got 525 beds and 25 ICUs beds. These two facilities also come under the DCH category.
The DCH category health-care facilities are meant to treat serious and critical COVID patients, the official said.
The COVID Health Centre (CHC) at Urban Community Health Centre, Patia, is having 60 beds for the treatment of mild symptomatic patients while another 50 will be added soon to UCHC at Dumduma area under this category.
Similarly, the city has COVID Care Centres (CCC) for asymptomatic and very mild symptomatic patients. While the High-Tech Medical has 550 beds under this category, the SIDBI Jaydev Vihar has 40 beds to treat patients.
The COVID Care Homes (CCHs) are being planned for three administrative zones of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area and these CCHs will be developed with the contribution from the MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) Fund of the respective MLAs of the city. These CCHs will have 50 beds each, the official said.
Meanwhile, the BMC has also urged resident welfare associations, non-government organisations and religious bodies to come forward with COVID Care homes in near future.
The BMC with the help of the health department has set a target to undertake 1,400 tests daily to detect more cases. Now swab samples are also collected by mobile testing centres in the state capital.
(PTI)
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Odisha Patients Caught In Quagmire Of Medical Negligence & COVID-19
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Two families of Ganjam district have brought serious allegations against the healthcare delivery mechanism at two Covid hospitals of the district.
As per reports, the family members of T Dilip Patra, a resident of Bijipur area have alleged medical negligence as the reason behind his death. Dilip lost his life to coronavirus while undergoing treatment at Tata Covid Hospital in Berhampur.
Patra’s family members said that he was admitted for treatment on July 11 after he complained of fever. Later, he tested positive for SARS-nCoV on July 15 and released from the hospital four days after the hospital confirmed that he was exhibiting no more symptoms.
However, he was again admitted to City Covid Hospital in Berhampur and later shifted to Tata COVID Hospital after his family members alleged lack of proper treatment in the hospital. However, he succumbed while undergoing treatment.
“We were calling him since morning that day but unlce (Patra) did not receive the calls. The hospital authorities later called us at around 9 am and said he was critical and kept on ventilator. They again gave another call at around 11 am and informed us about his death. He was stable at night, how did he suddenly die,” said Patra’s niece.
“Treatment at City Covid Hospital and Tata Covid Hospital is not up to the mark and people getting treatment in these two hospitals are dying in large numbers. The hospitals do not have sufficient staff and doctors. The helpline numbers of these hospitals are not even responded,” she said.
In another case, the family members of a Covid-19 infected person identified as Basant Kumar Sahoo of Ganpati Nagar in Berhampur town were reportedly informed about his demise after four days.
Sahoo was admitted to Sitalapali Covid Hospital on July 19 after he tested positive for Coronavirus. The family members informed that they were talking to Sahoo over the phone till July 24 but his phone became unreachable after that, alleged Sahoo’s family.
When they contacted the helpline number over the matter, they were informed that Sahoo was undergoing treatment at the hospital till July 27and died yesterday, said his family members.
“We were speaking to him (Sahoo) till July 24 noon and he was critical. Later, we could not contact him. Yesterday, the concerned hospital authorities called over the phone and informed us about his death since July 24,” informed Sahoo’s brother-in-law.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
https://youtu.be/iUvkUAOFa5s
https://youtu.be/YJr-2DoVEBU
Also Read:
Odisha Patients Caught In Quagmire Of Medical Negligence & COVID-19
Nurse Of Balasore COVID Hospital Alleges Harassment, 2 Detained
However, the entire episode has elicited sharp criticisms and is seen as an attack on Freedom of Speech and Expression. “They had taken them on 3-day demand. I think they failed to get any evidence and that’s why they were produced before the court prior to the conclusion of the remand period. We think there was no merit in the case,” said Laxmikant's lawyer, Silabhadra Sashtri.
"It was a simple conversation between two friends... But the FIR of Commissionerate Police against them conveys the message that family members or friends can no longer talk to each other on phone," said Biswajit’s lawyer, Atma Prakash Mohanty.
Meanwhile, the family of Laxmikant alleged that the police have also taken keys of their motorcycle, salary slip and other bank documents.
“They asked for his salary slip, bank documents and key of his bike. My father is now bedridden after getting to know about the arrest,” said Laxmikant’s brother.
(Edited By Bikram Keshari Jena)
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These reimbursement rates were communicated by the Health Department letter to all Collectors, Municipal Corporation Commissioners, Superintendents of medical colleges and hospitals.
In the letter, additional chief secretary PK Mohapatra has informed that the State government has approved the standardised rate for reimbursement of different consumables cost in DCHC /DCH and Covid care centre of Covid-19 facilities run by private hospitals (DCHC-Dedicated COVID Health Centre/ DCH-Dedicated COVID Hospital).
As per the approval, the fixed cost per general bed per day in DCHC/DCH is between Rs 1200 to Rs 3,000 (fixed for each hospital as per MoU). The consolidated consumable cost per patient per day is Rs 1750. The consumable cost is broken down into -Laundry (Rs 200), Santisizers (Rs 60), Food (240), Medicines (Rs 300), PPE (Rs 500), Investigations (Rs 200) and consumables (Rs 250).
The fixed cost per day for ICU beds at DCH is Rs 2000 to Rs 5,000 per day and the consolidated consumable cost per patient per day comes to Rs 12,000.
The highest claimable reimbursement is Rs 18,000 per day per patient in case of ICU bed at DCH with ventilator facility. Under this category, the fixed cost per bed is Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 and the consolidated consumable cost per patient per day comes is Rs 13,000 (as fixed for each hospital as per MoU).
The consumable cost here includes - Laundry (Rs 200), Sanitizers (Rs 60), Food (Rs 240), Medicines (Rs 7000), PPE (Rs 1500), Investigations(Rs 2000),Consumables (Rs 1000), Doctor on call (Rs 1000).
The fixed cost per bed per day per patient at a COVID Care Centre is Rs 1,000.
Also Read: COVID-19 Cases Declining in Ganjam, 85% Rural Areas In Green Zone: Collector
After a high-level review meeting chaired by the Cuttack district COVID observer, Saurabh Garg, the district Collector informed that the dedicated COVID hospital will have 150 beds and a provision for 20 ICUs.
“The overall COVID-19 situation is better than last week. Earlier, we had only one dedicated COVID hospital, but now the Odisha government has given approval for another COVID hospital which will be made operational soon,” said Chayani.
Garg informed that around 3,800 COVID-19 tests are being conducted daily and it will be scaled up to 4,000 tests per day.
“There is 50 % occupancy in COVID Care Centres and we are now focusing on home isolation both in municipal corporation limits and rural pockets,” said Garg.
Also Read: Odisha Reports 2239 New COVID-19 Cases, 9 More Succumb To The Disease
Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) Commissioner, Ananya Das said the focus is now on cluster-based testing mostly in slums of the city.
“We are sending mobile sampling teams to slums and other parts of the city and for this we have been able to detect 30 to 40 COVID-19 positive cases from Nimba Sahi area which has now been declared as a containment zone,” said Das.
(Edited By Bikram Keshari Jena)
“In view of the rapid surge of the Covid-19 cases in the state, you are requested to remain in readiness to accommodate the new cases and activate the earlier used Government and Private Covid facilities in a phased manner as and when required,” additional chief secretary of health department Pradipta Mohapatra stated in a letter.
Mohapatra said the health facilities shall be activated in a phase wise manner with an increment of 50 beds at a time when needed and added that the number of ICU shall be 20% of general beds and availability of ventilators shall be at least 50% of all lCUs.
#Odisha Health department issues advisory to all collectors, municipal commissioners, CDMOs & PHOs for activation of govt & private Covid facilities in the districts which were utilized during the 1st phase of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/n3uYygFkaO
— OTV (@otvnews) April 12, 2021
In big facilities having more than 100 beds, shall preferably have facilities for surgery (all type), maternity care, NICU and dialysis, Mohapatra said.
Moreover, all the private hospitals under Odisha Clinical Establishment Act having 30 beds or more have been asked to keep at least 10% of available beds (General bed & ICU) reserved for Covid patients. They shall increase the facility up to 80 % of available General beds and ICUs in a phase wise manner as per the rise in incidence of Covid patients.
“On activation of any Covid facility intimation shall be made to Government for obtaining post facto approval for the same. For Private Covid facilities negotiation shall be made with the earlier funding parties for reimbursement and an appropriate agreement (tripartite/bipartite) shall be signed indicating the date of functioning, number of beds, and approved rates,” the ACS said.
He said the rental charges and consumables cost for different beds like General bed/ ICU/ NICU/ Ventilators/ OT/ Labour table/ Dialysis will be as approved earlier.
“Manpower proportionate to the bed occupancy shall be engaged in Govt. Covid facilities for management of patients. The norm for engagement of manpower shall be as per Govt. A Dedicated helpdesk shall be set up as per the guidelines. This may be treated as most urgent,” the letter read.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
At a time when infections are rising putting facilities at the risk of being overrun, the government instead of strengthening its management at the hospitals, has shifted all its focus towards enhancing enforcement drives to penalize the violators, alleged Mohapatra.
“The government officials disregarded all the advice and proposals that were suggested for efficient crisis management. Nobody expected that situation in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack would be so unnerving. People are losing their family members because of the unavailability of beds in Covid hospitals here. The government should seriously look into increasing the bed capacity facilitated with ventilators and other equipment,” the BJP leader said.
He further highlighted that only a few beds are available in all hospitals in twin cities are combined, adding that the administration should come up with at least 1000 more beds at Covid facilities to redress complaints of non-availability of beds and ensure that patients are not deprived of timely medical care. Only a few beds are reserved for extreme emergency cases, he said.
https://youtu.be/YM4xKzIIwsA
Responding to the criticism, BJD leader Amar Satpathy appealed not to politicize Covid crisis or use it as an opportunity to settle political scores.
It is noteworthy to mention that Mohapatra’s allegations poured in a day after CM Naveen Patnaik, highlighting feedback on enforcement activities in the State, said to the DGP that strict adherence of Covid protocol in the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate area is not encouraging.
In a review meeting chaired by DGP Abhay today, it was decided to intensify decided to intensity enforcement in market areas of the Twin City and specified hot spots and seek public co-operation through an awareness drive. It was also decided that twin city police will collect more PPE kits and face shields from the State Central Store and encourage their personnel to use the same. “Good care will be taken of police personnel infected with Covid. This apart, Bhubaneswar will be divided into three zones for purpose of Covid enforcement with one DCP looking after each zone,” the meeting finalised.
50 More Officers, 5 Platoons Of Armed Police To Enforce COVID-19 Guidelines In Twin City
Clearing the air on the ban on movement of patients to Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said, "Government has created advanced Covid hospital facilities in the Twin City for people of the entire State. The government is only regulating to ensure that the patients travel safely and with proper medical advice arrangements and oxygen support etc. Carelessness in these matters in the past has affected the patients seriously. Referral of the patients with proper medical support shall be helpful in further management of the disease at referral points and shall save their life.”
Similarly, Additional Chief Secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said that there is no ban in referring the Covid patients from different districts to the Special Covid Hospitals at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar for critical care.
There is NO ban on any patient coming to Cuttack & Bhubaneswar for critical care treatment: Adl chief secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra #Odisha #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/rRw456ebvs
— OTV (@otvnews) September 16, 2020
The order approved by Odisha DGP (Fire Services) Satyajit Mohanty focused on inspection and evacuation drill at the Covid facilities and they have been asked to follow a daily maintenance schedule as per the checklist highlighting to-do list and precautionary measures to avoid such situation in the future.
This apart, the in-charge of the COVID facilities would designate one of the staff in each shift as Emergency Response Officer who should be well convergent with the drill and checklist.
The audit-cum-inspections of the COVID facilities will be held once in every fortnight. The objectives of the fire audit and emergency drill are advisory and educative in nature to respond to any fire incident swiftly with the available resources, stated the circular.
Odisha Fire Service will conduct fire safety audit and emergency drill at all the #covid facilities of the state once every fortnight. The objectives are advisory & educative in nature to respond to any fire emergencies swiftly with available resources. @CMO_Odisha @homeodisha pic.twitter.com/xQxFyzUQQp
— OdishaFireServicesHGsCD (@OdishaFS_HGs_CD) September 28, 2020
When the fire mishap occurred at Sadguru hospital in Jagatpur area on September 21, there were around 127 COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at the hospital and all of them were immediately shifted to other hospitals in different parts of the city. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Cuttack Covid Hospital Fire: Mock Drill at Hospitals Across Twin-city
According to Behera's kin, he was admitted to the dedicated Covid hospital in Dhenkanal on September 29 after testing positive for coronavirus. Next day, the hospital authorities informed that the patient has been shifted to a Covid facility in Cuttack.
When his son along with other family members reached the hospital and searched for him, he was not found.
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"I got my father admitted to Dhenkanal hospital on September 29 after his health condition became serious. When he tested positive for the virus, he was shifted to the Covid facility. The next day when I reached the hospital, the doctor informed me that my father has been referred to Cuttack hospital. We have been searching him in Cuttack hospitals, and till now we haven't been able to trace him," said Duryodhan's son Pradipta Behera.
The family also met Dhenkanal Collector and CDMO seeking their intervention in this matter.
"I have asked the family to visit Cuttack SCB Covid hospital, where the patient has been referred to. We are in touch with the officials and have sent letters to the Collector, SCB Superintendent and AMO of the Covid Hospital requesting them to share details of the patient's whereabouts. I have received information that the concerned patient was admitted to SCB," said CDMO Sujata Mishra.
https://youtu.be/byxICH-h6VY
COVID-19 Patient Escapes From Odisha Hospital, FIR Lodged
The facility set up by combining three buildings (two from the ophthalmology department and one from medicines) has 500 general beds and 70 ICU beds and will be operationalised to provide treatment to the patients infected with coronavirus infection. Cuttack Collector, CMC Commissioner, SCB Dean and department HODs were present during the inauguration.
With the detection of 105 new cases, the district's active caseload has surged to 1300. Of the fresh positives, 61 belong to Cuttack Municipal Corporation area while 43 belong to rural and other urban local bodies.
Last month, the state government had approved setting up of new Covid hospitals and additional facilities in Khordha, Cuttack and Koraput districts to strengthen the Covid battle.
Odisha: Fire Safety Audit, Emergency Drill At All Covid Facilities Once Every Fortnight
In a letter to the Directorate of Medical Education & Training (DMET) and Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Rajesh Kumar Agarawala, the deputy secretary of Health and Family Welfare department has asked to make the provisions at the earliest.
"After careful consideration, on priority basis the government is pleased to designate the Aditya Ashwini Covid-19 Hospital for the treatment of doctors and Covid-19 warriors," the letter read.
Earlier on October 18, the Odisha government had announced to provide Rs 50 lakh compensation to the families of COVID Warriors who died on duty in the State.
Meanwhile, Odisha on Wednesday reported a single-day spike of 868 new coronavirus infections. With this the COVID-19 tally in Odisha went up to 3,10,920 today. Of the fresh cases, 502 are from quarantine, while 366 are local contact cases.
As per government data, the death toll has jumped to 1575 with 15 more fatalities in the last 24 hours – 3 from Sundergarh, 2 from Sambalpur, 2 from Subarnapur, 2 from Gajapati while one each succumbed in Khordha (Bhubaneswar), Balasore, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Koraput, Mayurbhanj districts.
Odisha also crossed the three lakh Covid recovered cases on Tuesday. So far, 300474 patients have recuperated from the disease in Odisha, while the active case count stands at 8818. A total of 45,455 samples were tested in the last 24 hours taking the cumulative tests to 5376393 in Odisha.
Replying to a question posed by BJP MLA from Jashipur, Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia in the Assembly, Das said a total of 33 private hospitals across Odisha which were given exclusive rights to treat COVID patients have claimed Rs 479.90 crore from the government as treatment expenses against which a sum of Rs 344.55 crore has been released till February 13, 2021.
Out of those, KIMS hospital in Bhubaneswar has claimed the highest amount (Rs 59.41 crore) against which Rs 38.40 crore has been released by the government.
Similarly, SUM hospital in the capital city has claimed Rs 58.59 crore against which Rs 28 crore has been paid by the government.
As far as Cuttack city is concerned, Ashwini hospital near Sati Chaura Square has claimed an expenditure of Rs 32.35 crore of while only Rs 27.6 crore has been released so far.
COVID expenditure details of some of the major hospitals -
Hospital Name Claimed Amount (Rs) Released Amount (Rs)
NSCH, (MCL) Talcher 12,19,51,935 8,18,72,525
Bolangir KISS Campus 16,39,62,500 Nil
Balasore Jyothi Hospital 6,95,10,000 6,00,00,000
Baragarh MCH Building 7,92,44,232 7,92,44,232
Bhadrak Salandi Hospital 1,63,48,994 1,28,63,746
Cuttack GIMSAR 1,23,32,616 1,23,32,616
Cuttack Sadguru Hospital 7,54,22,435 7,54,22,435
Cuttack Ashwini Hospital 32,35,83,556 27,66,66,750
Cuttack Sun Hospital 7,30,85,938 7,19,44,293
Cuttack South Point Hospital 8,44,43,817 5,88,11,680
Cuttack Srusti Hospital 16,53,33,813 11,78,60,141
There are 30 government run hospitals which were entrusted with COVID treatment as well. However, the data related to their expenses is being collected, said Das.
(Edited By Ramakanta Biswas)