Odisha Govt De-empanelled SUM Hospital

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday dropped SUM hospital from referral hospital list following the fire mishap that killed 25 persons so far.

The state government de-empanelled the hospital from the list of referral hospitals under Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF).

The Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) has issued a notice in this regard.

The hospital has also been removed from the list of empanelled hospitals under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), a Central government run health insurance scheme for the below poverty line (BPL) families.

According to the notification, the hospital which has not obtained the requisite fire safety certificate from the state government was also delisted as referral hospital under Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF).

Under the OSTF, patients of BPL families, patients with an annual income of Rs 40,000 in rural areas and Rs 60,000 in urban areas can avail specialized treatment of diseases of the lung, kidney, and heart.

SUM hospital, which has floated fire safety norms, did not have building approval from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority.

“SUM hospital authorities do not have occupancy certificate. As per BDA norms, if a building is more than 15 meter high, then it is considered as a multi-storey and a fire clearance is also mandatory. In 2010, when SUM authorities applied for permission, they were not given permission for a multi-storey building,” informed BDA Planning Member Sudhir Mohanty.

Meanwhile, Fire Services DG Binay Behera took a review meeting over the implementation of fire safety measures in the hospitals and other establishments in the state.