Naba Das Murder In Odisha: Fresh Row Over Jharsughda Hospital OPD Ticket’s Silence On Treatment

Bhubaneswar: Six months after the sensational daylight murder of the then Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, a new controversy over the issue has now surfaced. Suspicion is being raised over the treatment of Naba Das after he was shot at by a policeman at Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district on January 29.

Immediately after being shot at near Gandhi Chowk in the western Odisha town, Naba Das was rushed to the district hadquarters hospital (DHH) in Jharsughda. However, the OPD ticket of Das which has now surfaced has no mention of the treatment provided to him at Jharsuguda DHH, sources said.

The then minister was subsequently airlifted from Jharsuguda to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar where doctors declared him dead the same evening.

Questions are now being raised as to why the OPD ticket, which should have contained all the details of the treatment provided to the slain leader, has no mention about the line of treatment. It has no mention about treatment provided to him at the DHH after he was admitted to the medical facility.

The OPD ticket simply mentions that Naba Das was admitted to the DHH with a gunshot injury and he was referred to a higher medical centre for better treatment. This seems to have further deepened the mystery over treatment of Naba Das.

Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Jharsuguda, Dr Dolamani Patel reportedly said that OPD ticket should mention about the treatment provided to a patient as per rule. Details about ails regarding the treatment provided to Naba Das should have been mentioned on the OPD ticket. However, since his condition was highly critical, he was referred immediately after administration of first aid, he said.

Doctors attended to the then Minister mentioned everything on the referral card though details were not written on the OPD ticket due to the shortage of time, Dr Patel added.

Expressing surprise over the absence of treatment details in Naba Das’ OPD ticket, medical professionals wondered as to why details like blood pressure, heart beat rate were not mentioned. The OPD ticket also does not mention whether blood transfusion was undertaken as the slain leader was profusely bleeding after being shot at.