Meanwhile, The Times of India reported that the 40-bed ICU at SCB had been functioning with only three nurses attending to nearly 40 patients. The staffing pattern is sharply contrasted with Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), which mandate one dedicated nurse per ventilated patient and one nurse for every two non-ventilated patients per shift.
According to The New Indian Express media reports, Dr Jyotirmay Nayak, additional superintendent of the medical college and hospital, said that the six-member inquiry panel will be headed by Prof Saroj Kumar Tripathy, Head of the Department of Medicine. The committee has been tasked with examining the circumstances leading to the patient’s fall, identifying any lapses in supervision or management, and submitting its findings for further action.
Dr Nayak further stated that Prof Subhendu Acharya, who was heading the ICU, has been relieved of his charge, with Prof Jayant Panda taking over the unit. Following the preliminary inquiry, six nursing staff members were transferred to other departments. The hospital administration also shifted the two outsourced attendants who were on duty in the ICU on the night of the incident. Additionally, the authorities sought the removal of the security guard posted that day, holding him responsible for facilitating the recording of the video inside the ICU.
Meanwhile, TOI reported the acute shortage of staff in the medicine ICU ward of the hospital. The daily reported that the hospital’s ICU ward has been functioning with just 3 nurses for 40 patients, and this has been a regular procedure in SCB for several years.
Commenting on the shortage of staff, Sudhansu Jena, an attendant, told TOI, “How can an ICU run with three nurses? It is not possible for just three nurses to monitor so many critical patients at a time.”
Another attendant, Manmaya Das, said, “These are critical patients who need constant observation. If staffing had been adequate, such an incident might have been avoided. The govt should ensure recruitment of an adequate number of nursing officers for the safety of critical patients.”
SCB Superintendent Dr Gautam Satpathy acknowledged the staff shortage and added that higher authorities have been informed. He stated that additional staff would be accommodated in the ICU once posts are sanctioned.
“Being a major referral hospital, the patient load at SCB remains very high. We are reviewing manpower deployment and will take appropriate steps to ensure such incidents do not recur,” he added.
Health Secretary S Aswathy also confirmed that the process to fill key vacancies has been initiated.
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