Cuttack: A destitute elderly man fell to his death from the third floor of a special ward of SCB Medical College and Hospital here at about 1.30 pm on Saturday. While Hospital Superintendent asserted that this was an accident, a social worker alleged this was an accident resulting due to carelessness of the hospital administration.
The elderly was a resident of a special ward for unidentified destitute patients for last three months. This ward is located on the third floor of a building of the SCB Hospital.
The Superintendent of SCB Hospital C B K Mohanty said, “The elderly’s death occurred at about 1.30 pm today. The three attendants have allotted to the special ward. Today he was given necessary treatment and then lunch. When the attendants were busy with other patients; acting impulsively, the elderly bent the rods of a window and jumped off.”
Mohanty said the attendants and the hospital cannot be at fault if a person acts solely on impulsions.
Contradicting the superintendent is a social activist Achyuta Kumar Sahoo who strives for providing proper treatment of unidentified destitute patients of the State. Alleging that this is an accident, Sahoo said, “The elderly, lacking sufficient supervision, had wandered off to an open ledge. He fell to his death. An elderly like him has no reason to commit suicide.”
He alleged that the Odisha Government, State Health department or the SCB administration of turning blind eye to the unidentified destitutes of Odisha. He added, “There is never sufficient facility or enough attendants in the special ward. We had protested against the poor facilities at the SCB, but today’s incident proves that there has been no improvement in condition at the hospital.”
