3 days ago
Ceiling slab collapses in MKCG block
BERHAMPUR: A ceiling slab on the fourth floor of the super speciality block at MKCG Medical College and Hospital collapsed, triggering panic among patients, doctors and staff on duty on Friday.
However, no injury was reported as the incident occurred in the corridor when it was empty. The five-storey block constructed by L&T at a cost of Rs 150 crore under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana has been facing repeated ceiling collapses. This was the ninth such incident since the building became operational in 2021.
In 2023, the government sanctioned Rs 3.6 crore for ceiling renovation with a target to complete the work by February 2024. However, only 70 per cent of the work has been done so far. The ceiling on the fifth floor remains in a dilapidated state. Rainwater seepage in the nursing officers' room on the same floor has forced health staff to work under risky conditions.
MCH superintendent Prof Durga Madhab Satpathy said, 'We have apprised our concern to the authorities concerned and urged them to complete the task on war footing.'
Meanwhile, panic broke out near the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department after gas leaked from a fire extinguisher installed at the OPD.
