Show-cause issued after 20 women made to lie on hospital floor post-sterilization

Kendrapada: Authorities have issued a show-cause notice to the medical officer of Nuagaon community health centre (CHC) in Jagatsinghpur district and ordered an inquiry after 20 women had to lie on the hospital floor following sterilisation surgery. The action came a day after a video showing the women lying on the floor went viral. TOI had first reported the incident on Friday.“After learning that women who underwent sterilisation had to sleep on the floor, raising serious concerns over patient safety and violation of sterilisation norms, I ordered a probe and issued a show-cause notice to the medical officer,” said CDMO (Jagatsinghpur) Dr Rajendra Kumar Panigrahi.Responding to the notice, CHC medical officer Chidananda Panda said, “I have submitted my reply. A sterilization camp was held on Thursday. Some women had to lie on the floor as sufficient beds were not available due to ongoing renovation work. It’s a minor surgery and all of them were discharged the same day. We will ensure such incidents do not recur and all sterilization rules are strictly followed.”Social worker Amarabara Biswal said the incident goes against the spirit of the Supreme Court’s Devika Biswas vs Union of India (2016) ruling, which mandated strict safeguards at sterilization camps and warned against unsafe procedures targeting vulnerable groups.Residents said overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure have long plagued the CHC. “Patients often sleep on the floor in wards and corridors. It reflects the poor state of healthcare here,” said Mahendra Das (64), a retired teacher from Nuagaon.Local resident Prasan Jena alleged that the CHC has become “a neglected facility for poor and lower middle-class families”. He said the delay in completing the extension block has worsened the situation. “Often patients are discharged early to make space for others waiting outside. Many lie unattended on the floor due to severe overcrowding,” he said.