Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi meets an injured at Patna Medical College and Hospital on Friday. Picture by Sachin

Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday took exception to the Patna Medical College and Hospital superintendent’s absence during his visit to the health hub on Sunday but nobody questioned his late arrival to attend to the Dussehra stampede survivors.

Manjhi came calling at the health hub around 6.45pm on Sunday. The superintendent, Lakhendra Prasad, was absent.

The chief minister took exception to the absence of Prasad and other senior officials. He also criticised the unavailability of medicines and lack of hygiene at the hospital. On Monday, he issued directions for a probe into the anomalies he spotted at the health hub. But in the middle of all these, he did not say one word about Prasad’s absence at the hospital on Friday, the day 33 people died in the stampede at Gandhi Maidan and another 29 were injured.

Victims started coming to PMCH from 7pm that day. Prasad allegedly arrived at the health hub after 10.30pm.

Nobody questioned him on that but the health department acted swiftly on the chief minister’s directive to conduct the probe into the shortcomings of the health hub.

Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh said: “Senior health officials went to PMCH to investigate the issue. Action would be initiated against the erring officials on the basis of the report submitted. The health department officials have been directed to submit the report by Tuesday.”

Sources said health secretary Anand Kishore held a meeting with senior PMCH officials on Monday. He discussed the functioning of the health hub and steps needed to be taken for improving its condition. If the PMCH seniors, including superintendent Prasad, made the mistake of being absent on the day of the stampede and — horror of horrors — during the chief minister’s visit, they did not repeat it on Monday.

All of them attended the meeting. A senior PMCH official present in the meeting, however, said no questions were raised about Prasad’s absence on Friday evening.

Deputy superintendent of PMCH Sudhanshu Singh said: “Issues regarding improving the sanitation level and drug supply to the hospital were discussed in the meeting called by the health secretary. Officials of the building construction and public health and engineering departments were also called for the meeting to find solutions to the infrastructure and sanitation problems at the hospital.”

PMCH sources said the health department has sought a list of doctors who were supposed to be on duty on the day of the stampede. “Those found absent even after being assigned duty may face action,” said a source, adding that the state government was gearing up to send a detailed report on the stampede to the Union home department.