Capital Hospital in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, June 28: Two instances of alleged negligence on part of medical staff at Capital Hospital in the last 48 hours has irked local residents.

In the latest instance, a 65-year-old woman died allegedly because of lack of treatment. The deceased has been identified as K. Satyabhama of Pension Lane here in the city.

Family members of Satyabhama rushed her to City Hospital after she complained of high fever and pain in her chest yesterday.

“We first brought my mother to the hospital around noon and were asked to come at 2pm. However, no doctors attended to her till six in the evening,” said K. Deba, the deceased’s son.

According to Deba, his mother would not have died if the doctors had attended to her on time.

“We came to the hospital for nearly four times and we were asked to come again in the evening as there were no specialist doctors available,” said Satyabhama’s daughter-in-law Manga.

Satyabhama breathed her last around 7pm few minutes before the doctors prescribed some medicines.

Earlier, the City Hospital was in the midst of a storm after a woman delivered a stillborn child on the veranda near the outpatient department last Sunday.

Following the incident, family members of the deceased K. Satyabhama and the Cuttack Nagar Congress (minority cell) today staged a protest along with the dead body in front of the office of the chief district medical officer (CDMO) .

“We demand immediate compensation for the family of the deceased and stern action against the erring doctors and medical staff for the negligence in both the cases,” said Ramzan Khan, president of Cuttack Nagar Congress Minority Cell.

CDMO Manorama Dei has said that an inquiry has been ordered in the case of the woman delivering a dead child. “An inquiry into the woman delivering a stillborn child has been ordered and the deputation of the doctor has been cancelled. We will soon submit a report following the investigation,” said Dei.

The CDMO said that the family members of K. Satyabhama are yet to submit their allegations. The ADMO has been asked to submit a report on the entire incident.

Stern action would be taken against the erring doctors if they were found guilty of negligence during the course of investigation in both the cases, the CDMO added.