Sweeper treats patient using mobile phone flashlight in Odisha hospital

Chandbali: In a shocking incident, a sweeper reportedly treated a patient in absence of doctor using mobile phone flashlight at Chandbali Community Health Centre (CHC) in Bhadrak district.

According to reports, the patient Ramesh Majhi, a Peshkar at Chandbali court, had sustained serious injuries on his head after being hit with a beam of building during shifting of office articles in a vehicle from old campus to a new building of the court yesterday.

Immediately he was taken to the CHC in Chandbali where Dr. Soumya Ranjan Swain advised for stitching on head of the patient after diagnosis. Without attending to the patient, the doctor went away.

As the patient was complaining of pain due to head injury, Subash Das, who is the Sweeper of the hospital, attended to the patient in absence of the doctor and nurse. With help another person, he made stitches on the patient’s head to close the cut.

Even as there was electricity at the hospital, he used mobile phone torchlight due to poor visibility.

Source said that the patient had 12 stitches on his head. After his health condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack for treatment.

Such incident shows real picture of healthcare system raising question on quality of services being provided to patients in state-run hospitals.

Earlier, such ‘unlawful’ practices were reported from Chandbali CHC where a sweeper had allegedly plastered right hand of a patient and a doctor allegedly treated a patient under mobile phone flashlight.

While the probe reports by ADM in these two incidents are believed to be under the red tape, the treatment of a patient by a sweeper has dragged the state-run hospital into controversy once again.

When contacted Dr. Soumya Ranjan Swain, he said, “I have already treated the patient,” clarifying, “the sweeper is engaged for stitches due to lack of staff at the hospital.”