Patient’s Relatives Assault Doctor & Nurse For Delay In Arrival Of Ambulance In Odisha’s Khurda

Khurda: Agitated over delay in arrival of ambulance, the relatives of a patient vandalised a hospital and assaulted a doctor and a nurse in Odisha’s Khurda district.

According to sources, the family of Mahendra Jena of Turintira village under Balipatna police station in the district him in Community Health Centre (CHC) due to illness. As Mahendra did not respond to initial treatment and his condition deteriorated, the doctors of the hospital advised his family to take him to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Dr M Shankar Panda, who was on duty in the hospital, made arrangements for the ambulance. But the ambulance got delayed to reach the CHC. Agitated over it, the patient’s family members and relatives were engaged in an argument with the hospital staff.

Though the hospital staff requested the patient’s relatives to calm down, the latter were not pacified and went to the doctor’s chamber. They reportedly abused and assaulted him. When the hospital staff including a nurse tried to intervene, they were also attacked.

The irate relatives of the patient also damaged the furniture, medical equipment and document in the chamber. “I had checked the patient and advised his relatives to take him to Capital Hospital as we do not have necessary facilities here for his treatment. I also called up the ambulance. But they got angry as the ambulance was delayed and assaulted me. The hospital staff are in a panic for lack of security,” said Dr Panda.

Meanwhile, the hospital authorities have filed a complaint at Balipatna police station. The police have registered a case and were checking the CCTV footage to identify the accused, the sources said.