E-Paper
Staff protest at Kaushambi hospital over theft allegation; services hit
The protest, which took place at the main OPD gate, hampered patient registration, medicine distribution and diagnostic services for approximately 90 minutes.
Prefer HTon Google
Hospital operations at the Kaushambi district hospital affiliated with the local medical college were disrupted on Thursday as more than 50 outsourced employees staged a sit-in to protest a theft accusation against a staff nurse.
The protest, which took place at the main OPD gate, hampered patient registration, medicine distribution and diagnostic services for approximately 90 minutes.
The tension began Wednesday when a patient, Nisha Soni, accused a staff nurse of stealing her gold and diamond ring during an ECG examination. The situation escalated when outsourced employees alleged that Soni, along with her husband and brother-in-law, physically assaulted nursing staff. This confrontation persisted late into Wednesday night, culminating in the protest the following day.
Amid the disruption, the family of a 40-year-old woman from a village in Sirathu alleged that the delay in treatment contributed to her death after she arrived at the emergency department in critical condition. However, chief medical superintendent (CMS) Dr Pankaj Tiwari disputed this claim, stating the patient had consumed a poisonous substance and asserting that hospital services remained functional throughout the protest.
The hospital recorded only 804 patient registrations on Thursday, a figure lower than the daily average. Many patients who had traveled from distant areas were forced to return without receiving treatment. Both involved parties have filed complaints at the Manjhanpur police station.
This incident follows a similar allegation from September 11 at the medical college’s Maternal and Child Healthcare Centre (MCHC), where relatives of two new mothers accused a nurse of stealing gold lockets and demanding money. The administration formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the earlier incident, but the findings have not yet been made public.
In the wake of the latest disruption, hospital staff and doctors residing on the premises have voiced growing security concerns. They allege that the police outpost established at the hospital’s main gate, staffed by a sub-inspector and two constables, is not consistently active. Staff also expressed frustration regarding the perceived absence of senior medical college officials during the altercation, urging faster administrative intervention to ensure worker safety and prevent future service disruptions.
Dr Tiwari announced that a four-member committee, including a matron, two doctors and a staff nurse, has been formed to investigate the latest dispute by recording statements from both sides. He added that the hospital plans to deploy six female security personnel in the near future.
