New Delhi: On the first day of Monsoon session of Parliament on Monday, BJP MP Sambit Patra demanded setting up burn and super specialty units at Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital (SJMCH) in Odisha’s Puri town.
Raising this demand during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Patra cited the Chandan Yatra tragedy at Narendra Puskarani Pond on May 29, which claimed 17 lives. The nearest hospital from Puri with a burn unit is at Bhubaneswar which is 70 kms away, he said.
“Keeping in view the large number of pilgrims who come to Puri every year especially during Rath Yatra, I request the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to open burn and super specialty units at Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital,” he said.
The main reason for the casualties was absence of a burn unit at SJMCH, Patra said, adding that to prevent such mishaps in future, the medical college and hospital needs full-fledged burn and super specialty units.