VSS Medical College and Hospital. Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, June 19: A team today visited Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Medical College and Hospital at Burla following an Orissa High Court directive and expressed dissatisfaction over the functioning of the hospital.

The members of the committee visited different departments and inspected the problems faced by the patients at the hospital.

The team would prepare a report on the three government medical colleges and hospitals in the state and submit it to the high court.

The committee expressed its dissatisfaction over the functioning of the V.S.S. Medical College and Hospital. “This medical college and hospital caters to the patients of not only the entire western Orissa and but also those of the neighbouring states, but it lacks the basic facilities,” said Prabhat Dash, a member of the committee.

“We visited almost all the departments and wards of the medical college and hospital. The essential equipment are lying defunct. The cardiology department is running without doctors. The hospital has failed to provide a paediatric surgery facility to patients. The hospital needs an endocrinology department and some other departments,” said Dash.

“In February, the chief minister of Orissa inaugurated a burn unit in the hospital but it is yet to become operational. The X-ray machine has been lying defunct since long. The hospital also requires a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine,” he added.

“We are a team that inspects the bio-chemical waste management of hospitals. But on May 19 this year, the high court had directed us to check whether the three medical college and hospitals of the state are well-equipped to cater to the needs of the patients. We visited the hospital in Burla. The service of this hospital is very poor,” said Dr Pradeep Kumar Pradhan, the medical expert of the committee.

“The nephrology department does not have the required machineries. The hospital authority has installed two ventilators but they are lying defunct. Nothing in the hospital is happening in an organised way,” said Pradhan.

“The hospital is yet to be provided with an alternative source of power. However, the government has sanctioned Rs 80 lakh for generators. We spoke to officials of the general electric department and other concerned departments. They assured to coordinate with the hospital authorities,” he said.

“We have collected the details of deficiencies in the hospital. We will visit the two other medical college and hospitals and then compile the report. The compiled report will be submitted to the high court before July 21,” he added.