Patients in the corridor of haematology department at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Aug. 29: Ajay Das is suffering from leukaemia. But for the past two months, he has been lying on a makeshift bed on the floor.

An increasing number of critical patients with thalassemia and leukaemia are forced to lie in the corridor of the haematology department at SCB Medical College and Hospital, as there is a shortage of beds.

More than 10 patients lie on the floor of the indoor ward and an equal number spill on to the corridor.

Das had come from Kendrapara two months ago. His wife Shantilata has since been attending to him as he lies on the floor in the corridor. Ratna Manjari, a patient from Banki, needs to undergo chemotherapy periodically. She too has been lying on the floor for the past two months as her husband Manoranjan attends to her needs.

The haematology department has an indoor bed capacity of 13. Head of the department R.K. Jena admitted that there was an “overflow” of patients, but said: “The government has already sanctioned funds for increasing the number of beds to 20.”

Acting on a petition filed by S.H. Ali Rizwan, a resident of the city, Orissa High Court had directed the state government in September last year to take necessary steps to strengthen the infrastructure of the department and increase the bed strength keeping in view the inflow of patients.

Responding to the direction, the commissioner-cum-secretary health and family welfare department had in an affidavit filed on September 29 last year promised that “the bed strength in the haematology department has been increased from 10 to 20, but due to increase in the inflow of patients, further increase is to be taken up”.

The court was further assured that the hospital authorities would remove the unused machinery and equipment, including the damaged cath lab, from the old cardiology department and hand over possession to the executive engineer roads and buildings within 15 days to enable him to commence expansion at the haematology department. The expansion, the court ruled, should be completed within six months.

But things have moved slowly. An affidavit filed by the petitioner’s counsel Jaydip Pal in the high court on Wednesday alleged that no attempts had been made to remove the unused equipment and machinery from the vacated old cardiology block and that was why patients in the haematology department were being treated in the corridor of the hospital.

“The precarious condition of the patients is unbearable. Although rooms are lying vacant in the old cardiology department for more than a year, the patients of haematology department are made to suffer because of the apathetic attitude of the medical administration and health department,” the affidavit said.

Pal filed the affidavit on the basis of an on-the-spot survey of the condition of the department on August 23 along with Pravat Ranjan Dash and other members of the advocate committee. The statement said 12 critical patients were lying on the verandah of the department. It said that while 13 beds were occupied by patients, an equal number of patients were on beds made on the floor inside the ward.

Certain patients referred from other departments like neurosurgery and orthopaedics were lying on the floor for more than one month. Certain paediatric patients suffering from acute leukaemia were also being treated on the floor, Pal said.