Pharmacist dismissed after COVID patient dies on hospital verandah in Odisha

Dhenkanal: A day after a video of indifference of staff of the Dhenkanal District Headquarters Hospital to a man who collapsed on the hospital verandah went viral, the Dhenkanal district administration today dismissed a pharmacist for dereliction of duty.

The video showed a woman was trying to resuscitate her husband by pumping on his chest on the verandah of the hospital while crying for help from doctors and nurses. But her all requests fell on deaf ears and her husband died on the hospital verandah.

Even though there were onlookers at the verandah no one came forward to help her. Some others were busy shooting the entire episode.

On September 14, Sushant Prusty of Nadhera village under Odapada block along with wife Anupama visited the Dhenkanal hospital for treatment as he was not keeping well for past few days. He underwent COVID test at the hospital and waited for reports at the hospital veranda.

When Sushant came to know he tested positive for COVID-19, he collapsed on the veranda and wreathed in pain. Sushant’s wife cried for help from doctors and nurses and pumped his heart to resuscitate him. But no medical staff lent a helping hand after came to know that Sushant tested positive for COVID.

The matter came to light after video of the woman pumping his husband’s chest at the hospital verandah went viral yesterday.

Dhenkanal Collector Bhumesh Chandra Behera said a recommendation has been sent to the State government to take action against the Doctor allotted duty on the day when the incident happened. The contractual Pharmacist has been disengaged from the duty, he added.