Sardar Vallavbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics in Cuttack

Cuttack, May 4: Orissa High Court has rejected the state government constituted committee’s report on relocation of SCB Medical College and Hospital’s paediatric unit to the Sardar Vallavbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGI).

The two state-run institutions are located 8km apart in the city.

The three-member committee constituted following a high court order following a PIL by Kanhayalal Sharma, a lawyer, had come out in favour of a merger of the paediatric unit of SCB and SVPPGI.

However, the court endorsed the petitioner’s contention that “the report cannot be said to be unbiased and independent” as the committee included the principal secretary of the department of health and family welfare Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra and the principal of SCB medical college Prakash Chandra Mohapatra, who were part of the government that had taken the merger decision.

AIIMS (Bhubaneswar) director Ashok Kumar Mohapatra was the other member.

“Therefore, the intention of the court to get the views of at least three independent experts in the matter has been defeated,” the petitioner had contended in a rejoinder.

The PIL had sought quashing of the state government’s merger decision. On February 26, the court had asked the state government to form an expert committee and report whether the merger would be in public interest or not. The report was submitted in court on April 15.

“While rejecting the report of the committee on Thursday, the division bench of Chief Justice A.K. Goel and Justice A.K. Rath further transferred the matter to the PIL bench for civic problems of Cuttack city,” said advocate Jaydip Pal, who was asked to assist the court in the matter.

“The transfer of the matter was ordered after it was pointed out that a division bench had earlier imposed restrictions on shifting of the paediatric unit while adjudicating on another petition,” Pal said, adding that the matter would be listed for further hearing by the division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice S.C. Parija.

In its interim order, Justice B.P. Das and Justice Indrajit Mahanty, on November 14, 2012, said: “We allow shifting of the paediatric unit of SCB to SVPPGI (Sishu Bhavan). But it is apprehended that shifting of the entire paediatric unit may cause inconvenience in treatment of newborns requiring specialised treatment for haematology, dialysis, congenital heart disease, etc. Therefore, till those units come into existence at Sishu Bhavan, a full-fledged unit of the paediatric department shall continue at SCB.”

The petition filed by one Akhaya Kumar Patnaik is still pending before the court.

The committee, in its report, had observed that “the paediatric units of both the institutions will only be consolidated at SVPPGI” and “it should not be construed as shifting”.

It was of the firm opinion that “paediatric care will be strengthened by this consolidation”. The committee has clarified that “despite consolidation of paediatric care at SVPPGI the 24-bed Sick Newborn Care Unit and nine-bed paediatric casualty at SCB would continue to function there”.

“The paediatric patients coming to paediatric casualty at SCB will only be shifted to SVPPGI after their condition became stable. One faculty unit will be stationed at SCB to look after paediatric casualties and to attend to paediatric consultation of various other departments,” the committee had clarified.