Sterilisation Camp Marred by Bed Shortage: 14 Women Recover on Hospital Floor in Odisha, Probe Ordered
Bed Shortage
The incident, which also involved hours-long delays before the procedures, has triggered public outrage and prompted an official inquiry.
Kendrapara: A sterilisation camp at a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Odisha's Kendrapara district has landed health authorities in the spotlight after 14 women who underwent sterilisation surgeries were left to recover on the hospital floor amid a shortage of beds.
The incident, reportedly marked by hours-long delays before the procedures, has triggered public outrage and prompted the district administration to order an inquiry.
Around 20 women arrived at the Rajkanika Community Health Centre on Saturday morning to undergo sterilisation as part of a family planning camp. However, the medical team reportedly reached the facility only around 6 pm, forcing the women and their accompanying family members to wait for more than nine hours before the surgeries began, reports The New Indian Express.
After the surgeries were completed, 14 women were reportedly made to recover on the hospital floor as no beds were available for post-operative care. Photographs and videos showing the women lying on the floor later surfaced on social media, drawing widespread criticism and raising concerns over the adequacy of healthcare infrastructure at the CHC.
Family members of the patients also expressed concern over the conditions at the hospital. A resident of Taras village under Rajkanika block alleged that his wife had to remain on the floor for nearly four hours after the surgery, describing the experience as painful and distressing. Another woman from Dalikanda village claimed that the patients were not only denied beds after the procedure but also did not receive adequate post-operative care.
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Responding to the incident, Rajkanika CHC Medical Officer Dr. Badal Mohanty said the hospital has only 16 beds, of which 10 were already occupied by other patients at the time of the camp. He stated that while 20 women attended the sterilisation programme, 14 had to recover on the floor because of the shortage of beds.
Dr. Mohanty added that sterilisation is considered a minor surgical procedure and that all the women were discharged on the same day. He also attributed the delay in the surgeries to the late arrival of the medical team and assured that measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
Kendrapara Chief District Medical Officer Dr. Anita Patnaik said she has directed the medical officer to submit a detailed report on the incident. Stressing the importance of maintaining quality services during family planning camps, she said appropriate action would be taken after the inquiry report is examined.
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