A tragic fire at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on March 16 resulted in the deaths of 12 patients. Following this incident, three fire department officials and one engineer have been suspended for negligence in their duties. The opposition parties, BJD and Congress, have escalated protests demanding the resignation of Health Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has taken action against the negligence by suspending four officials involved. These officials include Prakash Kumar Jena, Sanjeeb Kumar Behera, Abhinab Prusty, and Ranjan Kumar Biswal. A fact-finding team has been set up to investigate the causes of the fire incident, chaired by Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh.
The state government has also formed a single-member judicial commission of inquiry led by retired district judge Laxmidhar Biswal. This commission is tasked with examining the events leading to the fire, assessing the preparedness of the hospital and other agencies, and making recommendations to prevent similar tragedies. The commission has been given 60 days to submit its report from the date of publication in the Odisha Gazette.
A fire broke out in the ICU of the Trauma Care Centre at SCB Medical College due to a suspected electrical short circuit. The incident occurred between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., resulting in the tragic deaths of 12 patients.
