Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
When his father was an indoor patient in SCB Medical College Hospital, reporter Chittaranjan of Naxatra News, while attending him, came across such irregularities in the hospital management and health care that as a media person it was to him imprudent to ignore. He was in a predicament. He knew that it would be irritating to the College authorities as well as to the hospital’s medical staff if the irregularities were exposed and may lead to debacle of his ailing father. Yet he also knew that if he sloughs over the irregularities, his professional conscience would never excuse him. He battled against himself and finally decided to honor his professional conscience. He captured some evidences of irregularities in camera on 14 06 1013. This irked the medicos.
Today, at around 5.30 PM of June 15, when Chitta and a co-reporter had been to the medical college and hospital to attend to his bedridden ailing father, a irritated gang of medicos numbering about 30, attacked them suddenly and forcefully took them into confinement.
The wrongful confinement lasted for about two hours.
The reporters were threatened with dire consequences if the tapes on which visuals were shot yesterday were not handed over to them immediately. But the tape was not with the reporters as by that time they had already submitted the same in the bureau office. Their tormentors asked them to kneel down holding the ears by both the hands till they were released at about 7.30 in the evening.
On behalf of ‘Naxatra News’ channel, its editor-in-chief Basudev Mohapatra condemned the hooliganism resorted to by the medicos and appealed to media fraternity to unite against such attack so as to protect free press in the State. Neither media nor the Governmenr paid any heed to Sri Mohapatra’s just demand.
Exemplary stern action against the medicos to discourage hooliganism in the sector where humanitarianism is most needed for proper care of the suffering patients.
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