SCB Medical College and Hospital. Telegraph picture

Cuttack, Jan. 28: The S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital administration will soon deploy at least 120 security personnel to strengthen its security system.

At the hospital’s recent general meeting, the security problem of its campus was taken up by the state government's Swastha Bikash Samiti. The samiti, headed by the revenue divisional commissioner (central division) P.K. Mohapatra, had approved the proposal for deployment of additional security guards.

The hospital administration had already appointed 130 security personnel. “But deployment of additional guards had become imperative following opening of new wards and expansion of existing wards,” hospital superintendent D.N. Maharana said.

Among the areas of the hospital where additional security guard has been planned include the central intensive care unit, the trauma centre, the psychiatry institute and other newly opened wards.

“Construction of the two new entrance gates on eastern and western sides of the hospital have also increased the requirement of additional security guards,” he said.

The hospital has recently been under fire for taking inadequate security measures. City-based lawyer Tarananda Patnaik had raised the security issue of the state’s biggest government hospital through a petition.

Acting on the PIL, the court had constituted a committee to assess the situation. The committee had in August last year expressed surprise that everybody had free access into the hospital premises through the two main entrances.

Official sources said in the meeting, the authorities had also taken up the problem of overcrowding due to unrestricted traffic on the road inside the hospital between the two entrance gates that connect Manglabag on the western side with Ranihat on the eastern side.

The authorities had approved stoppage of the thoroughfare on the road. “The road between the two entrance gates has already been handed over to the public works department by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation. Stopping of thoroughfare on the road will be done from June,” an official of the hospital said.

“Adequate security arrangements will be made to stop thoroughfare on the road,” said Bhubananda Magarana, special duty officer (disaster management) of the hospital.