Relatives of patients protest at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 15: Tension prevailed in the Capital Hospital as attendants and relatives of patients in the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology department alleged that the hospital staff were asking for money to attend to patients.

Bhagaban Duari from Nayagarh district, whose wife was admitted to the hospital on Friday night following labour pain, said: “My wife was first admitted to a government hospital in Nayagarh. But later, as her condition became more serious, she had to be shifted here. But here, the staff asked for a sum of Rs 1,000 to attend to her. I could pay them only Rs 600. She was taken care of by the hospital staff after repeated requests made by me.”

It was not only the allegation of Duari, but most of the relatives of the patients had the similar complaint against this premier state government-run hospital.

Sumitra Sukla, another patient from Pipli area, was admitted to Capital Hospital on Friday while she was bleeding profusely. Her husband Bhagaban Sukla alleged that he had to pay Rs 700 to the doctor attending to his wife and Rs 100 each to the sweeper and the washerwoman.

Most of the patients and their relatives fear that they would not get attention if they do not pay bribe to the hospital staff. Biswanath Behera from Balianta area said they had been bound to pay the hospital’s staff according to their demands.

“We are poor and uneducated. But, if we do not pay them, they will not attend to our patients. It is better to pay them than see our near and dear ones die before our eyes due to the negligence of the hospital staff,” said Behera.

The Capital Hospital is one of few well-equipped hospitals in the state, which can treat patients suffering from serious illnesses. Besides, most of the people of the nearby districts also depend on this hospital as they do not get proper treatment in the district hospitals. But allegations regarding the hospital staff’s indifferent attitude towards the patients have become a regular phenomenon here. Allegations of sale of newborn child were also raised here in the past.

Ghanashyam Patra, a central government employee who had admitted his wife to the hospital last night, complained that her wife had not been provided with a bed and had to sleep on the floor. “This is ridiculous. Despite our repeated complaints, the hospital staff do not take any step for the patients’ well being and recovery,” said Patra.

The hospital authorities, however, said they have not got any complaint from the patients’ side in the recent past. They, however, admitted that they had got many such complaints earlier and inquired into the matter.

“Earlier, many such allegations had come. We inquired into these cases and the guilty were removed. Now, new staff have been posted here. Besides, we have cautioned all staff against taking money from the patients or harassing them,” said S.N. Swain, deputy chief medical officer of the Capital Hospital.