Bhubaneswar, March 30 Following the disruption of proceedings in the Odisha Assembly over the death of 12 patients in a fire at a state-run hospital in Cuttack, opposition MLAs submitted a memorandum to Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday, demanding the resignation of the health minister.
In a joint memorandum signed by MLAs from the BJD, Congress, and CPI(M), the opposition lawmakers stated that the hospital fire had caused severe distress and deeply shocked the people of Odisha.
"This tragedy raises serious concerns regarding safety standards, administrative accountability, and the overall condition of public healthcare infrastructure in the state," they said in their six-point charter of demands to the Governor.
Besides the resignation of the Health minister, the opposition MLAs demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family of each deceased patient, along with a government job for one member of each affected family, a judicial inquiry led by a sitting or retired Judge of the Orissa High Court, free medical treatment for all injured patients, along with financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each.
They also demanded the immediate arrest and stringent legal action against the Hospital Superintendent and all responsible officials, contractors, and agencies found guilty of negligence.
"We also demand a comprehensive fire safety audit of all hospitals (government and private) across the state, with strict enforcement of compliance measures," the opposition MLAs said.
The lawmakers stated that the incident has not only caused irreparable loss to affected families but has also raised serious apprehensions among the public regarding the safety in government healthcare institutions.
"Therefore, we earnestly request your kind intervention to ensure justice for the victims, accountability of those responsible, and urgent corrective measures to prevent recurrence of such tragedies," they said.
The Odisha government has placed four officers under suspension, transferred some officers from key positions, set up a judicial commission to probe into the fire incident by a retired district judge, announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia for each victim's family, and a high-level probe by a fact-finding team headed by the Development Commissioner.
