Odisha govt creates WhatsApp group to avoid Dana Majhi like incidents

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday decided to constitute WhatsApp groups across hospitals at the district level to ensure exchange of death information of all victims coming into the hospitals.

The health department took the decision as the incidents of carrying dead bodies on shoulders are keep occurring at several parts of the state. The incidents have exposed the deteriorating health care system in the state.

The department has directed that no dead bodies can be discharged from hospitals without appropriate certificates.

Information on death, discharge of dead bodies, the postmortem will be exchanged through WatsApp groups making all the concerned officials taking from hospital medical officers to district level administrators aware of the status of each and every death reports at hospitals across the district.

BDO, Tehsildar, all medical officers of the district (CDMO), SDMO will be included in the WhatsApp group. The death reports and related information at hospitals will be shared in the group, said a release.

The state government had passed some no-bar rules to be followed in hospitals following the ‘shame walk of Dana Majhi incident’. But the instructions are not followed by the hospital authorities in true letter and spirit.