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Strikes, demos hit services at SCB hospital

Correspondent

Pharmacy students stage dharna against ‘unfair’ practices

CUTTACK: Nothing seems to be going perfectly in Orissa’s biggest referral hospital in Cuttack. The SCB Medical College and Hospital is witnessing a series of strikes and demonstrations over these days. As a result, the poor and innocent patients are facing deep trouble. Following nursing staffs strike last month, the junior doctors ceased work for four day last week. Just a day after the striking doctors resumed duties on Sunday, class IV staff of the hospital staged a demonstration on Monday demanding payment of outstanding dues and jobs for the kin of their colleagues who died in harness.

The class IV staff in a unique way of protest pulled out hospital superintendent’s chair outside of his office and prostrated in front of it after lighting ‘diya’ and incensed sticks. They were trying to bring home the point urging the superintendent to release their outstanding dues which are pending since long. But the woes of the hospital did not end there. On Tuesday, pharmacist students agitated alleging ‘unfair’ practices adopted by the hospital authorities in publication of their results. Students of Pharmacist College here staged a demonstration here after locking their College office. They claimed that the results of their final examination that was published last week were not free and fair. At least 11 out of total 60 students failed while results of four were kept withheld. The failed students claimed that below average students have managed to get pass marks after heavily bribing the authorities.

Unmoved by the developments, hospital superintendent J K Balabantray however, tried to underplay the situation stating that everything is normal in the hospital.

"Every citizen in this country has a right to protest and this is being done everywhere and not alone in SCB hospital", he said reacting to the series of strikes. But the hospital administrative officer P K Mallick blamed the head of the institution for all the current ailments. "There is a growing discontentment among all groups of employees here because the superintendent is incapable of leading from the front", Mallick alleged.

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