A six-hour bandh was observed in Sundargarh town in Odisha on 14th October in protest against the suspension of a senior health official.

Protesters, led by the BJP, demanded immediate withdrawal of the suspension order against Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Pankaj Patel. The health official was suspended on 13th October for dereliction of duty. A show-cause notice was also issued to Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan over lapses in implementation of the "Mo Sarkar" (my government) initiative in the district hospital.

The bandh was observed in Sundargarh town from 6 am to 12 pm, during which businesses and government offices remained shut. However, vehicular traffic was normal and educational institutions were kept outside the ambit of the bandh. In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Sundargarh's BJP MLA Kusum Tete wrote, "The suspension order has been issued based on miscommunication and misunderstanding." The suspension came after secretary to the chief minister, V K Pandian, during a recent visit, found patients waiting outside the Sundargarh district hospital to get their pathology tests done.

The patients were allegedly not being served food as per provision. Pandian, who is also the 5T (technology, transparency, teamwork, transformation and time limit) secretary, had visited Koraput, Malkangiri, Boudh, Nabarangpur and Sundargarh districts to review healthcare facilities and infrastructure in the state-run hospitals. On patients allegedly not being served food at the Sundargarh district hospital, Tete said a particular patient was suffering from throat illness and was advised to take fluids which were given to him on time.

"Pandian, however, was told the hospital authorities had denied food to the patient, which was one of the factors behind the suspension order to Patel," Tete said. The BJP MLA said, despite doctors' advise to patients to get blood tests done in the hospital, they were acting on their own for which the medical practitioners should not be held responsible. She said there is a need for at least 40 doctors in the district hospital and 157 across Sundargarh district.

"Hence, it is quite challenging to provide the desired service properly. It is the duty of the state government to fill the vacant posts. "Dr Pankaj Patel was working with due diligence, performed his duty relentlessly against all odds and served people effectively. He is suspended for none of his faults. It (the suspension) is quite surprising and against the principle of good governance," Tete said.

Meanwhile, Opposition Congress also criticised the state government for the CDMO's suspension. "How can the government blame the CDMO without providing adequate doctors to run a hospital? Where is the health minister?" Congress MLA Suresh Routray said. The "Mo Sarkar" programme, launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on October 2, is a feedback system, which finds its roots in the Gandhian philosophy of giving people a voice in governance.

Under the initiative, the chief minister, ministers and senior officials will be dialling random numbers for feedback on the quality of service received in government-run hospitals and police stations.