BHUBANESWAR: THE Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped Odisha Government for failing to develop adequate infrastructure in health and social sectors.As per the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), all hospitals providing service to neonates should have a 10-bed Newborn Care Ward (NCW) but there was no NCW in any hospitals checked by the audit team.
The sanctioned bed strength of 200 was increased to 356 without extending the floor area in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP) at Cuttack which has 62 per cent vacancy in doctors’ posts.Apart from SVPPGIP, District Headquarters Hospitals (DHH) at Balasore, Baripada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Puri and Rourkela were audited to assess effectiveness in the administration of paediatric care, utilisation of physical infrastructure and human resources during 2013-16.
Though the State Government had framed Odisha Integrated Health Policy in 2002, no specific strategy for improvement of paediatric care was formulated. The audit also found that necessary procurement of equipment and infrastructural development were not completed in the absence of a specific policy.
The State, which made a budget outlay of `10,317.16 crore, could spend `8,931.23 crore and surrendered `1,385.93 crore even as various proposals remained in red files on the pretext of funds constraint.
Of 27,804 babies born between 2013 and 2016 in sampled hospitals, 427 neonates died of infectious diseases like sepsis and pneumonia due to overcrowding of wards, unlimited entry of attendants and inadequate training of health personnel.
The audit observed that none of the surveyed health units had Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC) and Hospital Infection Control Team (HICT) as per hospital prevention and control guidelines. The HICC and HICT are necessary to minimise the risk of spreading infection to patients and staff.
Despite availability of funds under the free medicine distribution scheme, eight out of 10 surveyed health units did not have stock of life saving drugs forcing the patients to procure medicines from outside stores.
The hospitals in the audited districts were found administering medicines to children without quality test. The hospitals had purchased medicines worth `12.37 crore in three years.
As per the Odisha State Drug Management Policy, 20 per cent of medicines procured should be collected from each batch and sent to State Drug Management Unit (SDMU) for quality testing within three days of receipt of medicines.Though laboratory services are an integral part of disease diagnosis, the CAG audit found tests in laboratories of seven DHHs were either not conducted or inadequately conducted due to non-availability of equipment and re-agents.
Critical equipment like sodium potassium analyser, incubator, QBC count machine and auto biochemistry analyser were not found in the DHHs, for which the neonatal and paediatric patients could not avail pathological investigation facility, the audit observed.
Report findings
DHHs at Balasore, Baripada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Puri and Rourkela were audited
Team assessed the effectiveness in administration of paediatric care, utilisation of physical infrastructure and human resources during 2013-16
Bed strength in SVPPGIP at Cuttack increased to 356 from 200 without extending floor area
62 per cent posts of doctors vacant in SVPPGIP
Of budget outlay of J10,317.16 crore, only J8,931.23 crore was spent and J1,385.93 crore surrendered
Eight out of 10 surveyed health units did not have stock of life saving drugs