Cuttack, June 16: More than two months after Orissa High Court asked the state government to name the isolation ward at S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) after an Italian tourist, who died there over two years ago, it is yet to be done.

The court had also asked the state government to come up with a separate care-taking ward for unattended and unidentified patients at the hospital.

Sebastian Rosario Contiguglia, a 63-year-old Italian tourist, had died at the hospital on December 14, 2012, after being treated for over a fortnight.

The revenue divisional commissioner (central) had ordered for an administrative inquiry by the Cuttack collector following allegations that the Italian died owing to lack of proper care and treatment. The commissioner had approved the inquiry report of the Cuttack collector and submitted it to the state government on January 11, 2013.

While disposing of a PIL on March 31, the high court directed the state government to take steps to implement the suggestions made by the collector. The PIL had alleged that the death of the tourist was caused due to negligence in medical care and treatment.

"Since this writ application was filed after the death of Contiguglia, this court directs that the isolation ward in the central ICU be named in his memory to ensure that people suffering from infectious diseases can be taken care of and we feel it would serve the best memory of the diseased," the division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice B. N. Mohapatra said in the order.

A senior official of SCBMCH on condition of anonymity said: "We are aware of the high court order. However, we have not yet received any order from the state government." The court had set a three-month deadline from the date of the order while directing the registry to list the matter on July 6 along with the compliance report.

In his inquiry report, the collector & district magistrate (Cuttack), Girish S.N. had pointed out that SCBMCH "lacks institutional mechanism to take care of unidentified / unattended patients", while observing, "It is high time the hospital started a separate ward lest such patients suffer negligence of care".

Girish said: "It is seen that several unidentified / unattended patients are undergoing treatment in different departments of SCBMCH. Therefore, it is suggested to constitute a separate care-taking ward for such unidentified / unattended patients. In such a ward, it can be ensured that attendants are deployed and perform their duties round the clock."

Lodging of unidentified and unattended patients in a single ward would make it "easier to arrange free medicine and treatment". "Several service provider agencies would come forward to provide attendants since this would be a pragmatic and remunerative arrangement", the collector of Cuttack said in his inquiry report.

The PIL filed by Achyuta Kumar Sahoo, secretary of voluntary organisation Sevak, also sought the court's direction to the state government to provide proper medical treatment to the destitute, persons abandoned by family, unidentified accident victims and persons without attendants at the hospital.