Odisha Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak yesterday resigned from the Cabinet on moral grounds in the wake of hospital fire tragedy that killed 25 people.
“The health minister sent me his resignation letter. He has resigned on moral grounds. I have accepted it and sent it to the governor,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Nayak was under pressure for his alleged connection with Manoj Nayak, the owner of the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospitals here.
Atanu’s wife works as a lecturer in a college owned by Nayak, who has since been arrested.
Opposition parties were mounting pressure on the chief minister to sack Nayak for his alleged nexus with the SUM Hospitals owner.
Atanu was in the eye of the storm for the deteriorating healthcare facilities in the state.
In August last year, 70 infants died at the government-run Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack following which Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited it.
Then came the shocking visuals of Dana Majhi, a tribal, carrying his wife’s body on his shoulders over 10km after he was denied an ambulance to ferry his wife’s body to his village in Kalahandi district in August.
The failure of the health department to contain the Japanese Encephalitis had also provided fodder to the opposition.
Over 60 children died in Malkangiri district due to the vector-borne disease.
Meanwhile, the kin of each of the person killed in the hospital fire would receive a compensation of Rs1.2mn, which includes Rs500,000 from the hospital and Rs500,000 from the state government, it was announced.
Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 200,000 from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
Earlier the Odisha government asked its officials to take action against private clinical establishments which violate fire safety norms.
“The district collectors and revenue divisional commissioners (RDC) should immediately inspect all the private clinical establishments in their districts including private medical colleges and wherever dereliction of non-compliance is found, immediate necessary action must be taken under the Clinical Establishment Act and Fire Safety Act,” said health secretary Arti Ahuja in a letter.
The health secretary asked the district collectors and RDCs to ensure that SUM hospital like fire tragedy does not occur anywhere else.
“The Clinical Establishment Act amendment has been approved by the Odisha Legislative Assembly and is in the process of notification. I will be communicating the Act and subsequently the Rules for your action,” she said in the letter.