Arasi Behera in SCB Medical College and Hospital. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, July 27: A day after an incident in which one woman was injured following falling of a fan from the ceiling on her bed, the SCB Medcial College and Hospital authorities today removed the fans at the paediatric ward for general repairs.

“The hospital superintendent has asked the concerned executive engineer of general electricity department to conduct a detailed probe into the incident. Fans at the ward have also been sent for repairs,” said the hospital’s emergency officer, B.N. Moharana.

He said efforts would be initiated to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Moreover, six stand fans have been installed at the ward to provide relief to the newborns and their attendants. Similarly, ten more stand fans would also be installed at the ward by tomorrow.

Yesterday, a woman had sustained severe head injuries after a ceiling fan fell on her head.

The woman, Arasi Behera, 30, was sleeping with her six-year-old niece Rashmi Behera, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital from Sunday, when the incident occurred around 4pm yesterday.

“I was sleeping along with my niece when the incident occurred,” said Behera.

Behera alleged that though many other attendants of the patients had informed the hospital staff about the fans making noise, no step was taken to change the fan which eventually fell on her.

Following the incident, the fan was immediately replaced. However, Medical Banchao Committee today staged a demonstration demanding immediate transfer of the junior engineer of general electricity department for negligence.

“Today, we have met the hospital authorities and demanded transfer of the concerned official responsible for the dereliction in duty. We will stage a hunger strike if our demands are not fulfilled soon,” said Medical Banchao Committee’s president Suresh Mohapatra.

Yesterday’s was the second such incident. Earlier, a seven-day-old baby had escaped unhurt after a fan fell on a bed on which she was sleeping at the gynaecology department on May 14.