SCB Medical College and Hospital. Telegraph picture

Cuttack, May 4: Orissa High Court has expressed displeasure over non-compliance of its order on SCB Medical College and Hospital.

On March 22, the high court, while responding to a public interest litigation (PIL), had sought an affidavit from the state government on steps being taken to improve facilities to treat unidentified and unattended patients at the hospital.

The PIL was filed following the death of an Italian tourist — Sebastian Rosario Contiguglia — at SCB hospital on December 14 last year.

Expressing displeasure, the division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice B.N. Mohapatra yesterday said it was a fit situation to call the secretary of the health and family welfare department to court for an explanation. However, the state counsel requested the bench to allow some more time to file the affidavit.

“The bench directed the state counsel to submit the affidavit by May 9,” the PIL petitioner’s counsel, Prabir Kumar Das, said.

On April 23, Kulamani Mishra, deputy secretary of the health and family welfare department, had filed an affidavit on behalf of the state government. But the court had refused to take on record the affidavit as it failed to answer its queries and directed the department secretary to file an affidavit by April 30.

The court expected an affidavit that informed it about the steps taken to create of a separate ward for treatment of unattended and unidentified at SCB, as suggested by the district magistrate of Cuttack in his inquiry report on the death of the Italian tourist.

The PIL had sought 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.