Health department officials inspect Pavlov Hospital to probe 'gross negligence'

kolkata: A team of senior health department officials on Monday inspected the Pavlov Hospital and questioned hospital superintendent and other staff members in connection with a series of 'gross negligence' that came up in a recent report submitted by Deputy Director of Health Services (non communicable-II) Debasis Haldar and Additional Director of Health Services (mental health) Saibal Banerjee.

The health officials questioned the hospital superintendent Ganesh Prasad corroborating the report that raised questions on a number of issues.

The health department is also probing financial irregularities which might have occurred. Stern action will be taken after the probe is conducted, a senior health official hinted.

According to the health department, around Rs 15 lakh is given to the hospital every month on account of food costs for the inmates. But the inmates are given unhealthy and rotten foods.

There is no diet committee in the hospital. Around Rs 1 crore is allotted for procuring dresses for the inmates but the health department report reveals that many of the women inmates are not provided with proper dresses.

In its report, Saibal Banerjee observed that the supervision and monitoring of patients by psychologists were not up to the mark. "Regular administrative round of the IPD/OPD by Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent (NM), Nursing Superintendent, Deputy Nursing Superintendent, Facility Manager is not being done, nor any round register is being maintained," reads the report.

At least 13 female inmates were locked inside two rooms. "The rooms were dark, shabby, and dirty with broken iron cots, strewn across the floor thereby exposing the inmates to the risk of being injured by the rusted, sharp and broken ends of the iron cots," stattes the report.

The hospital superintendent came much later and could not provide any logic to the inhuman lodgement of those inmates," the report

cites further.