Bhubaneswar: The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Friday approached the director of the institute seeking action against the Medical Superintendent (MS) accusing him of concealing his son’s travel history who later tested positive for coronavirus Thursday night.

The resident doctors also accused the AIIMS-Bhubaneswar isolation unit in-charge for improper handling of the situation.

The RDA said it was gross negligence on the part of the MS to conceal the travel history of his son who was admitted to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar isolation unit and kept in doctor’s room Thursday.

“It came to our notice that a 19-year-old youth was brought to the isolation unit and kept in the doctor’s room with his travel history concealed. Upon enquiring, the isolation unit in-charge said that it was a high profile case. He didn’t disclose the patient’s details. He himself filled up the case-sheet of the patient while hiding the relevant travel history,” the RDA alleged.

“This patient tested positive Thursday (March 19) and is the second case of COVID-19 in Odisha. On further enquiry, it was found that the patient was the son of the MS, Sachidananda Mohanty, and had returned from the UK three days back,” the resident doctors pointed out, adding that it was both medical and administrative negligence on the part of the MS that he did not reveal he was in direct contact with the corona patient, thus risking the spread of COVID-19.

“As we, along with the residents of concerned departments, had been in regular contact with the MS in the last few days, we feel betrayed by one of our own,” RDA members said.

“While we residents are coming into regular contact with the patients and providing the first line of care, the administration at the top is yet to formulate a Standard Operating Procedure to handle suspected cases of COVID-19,” the association members said, demanding strict action against the violators.

Meanwhile, Odisha government’s chief spokesperson on COVID-19 Subroto Bagchi said that the second corona positive patient has come in contact with at least 46 persons.

“We have identified 43 persons of total 46 and eight teams have been formed to trace the remaining three persons, who had come in contact with the infected youth,” Bagchi told the reporters at Gita Govinda Bhawan here.

Another city-based medical college and hospital, on the other hand, issued an internal advisory asking its staff, who reportedly lived in the same building as that of the second coronavirus patient, to undergo home quarantine for next 14 days.

Meanwhile, AIIMS- Bhubaneswar director B Gitanjali brushed aside the allegations of violation of norms. “I had a meeting with them (resident doctors). An anonymous letter is doing rounds. It is not signed. It is a bogus thing. The issue is that MS’ son came from abroad and he had some symptoms.”

“The MS came to the hospital and he (boy) was isolated. We took his blood sample for testing using the proper procedure and it came out positive and he is kept under isolation. We are exactly following the norms prescribed by the Government of India. But, I do not see anything wrong which the MS did in the whole thing. He did exactly what he is supposed to do,” AIIMS- Bhubaneswar director pointed out.

“All precautions required to treat a patient were taken. All the doctors who are treating (patients) in that clinic are taking the protective measures. And the patient himself was wearing a mask when he came,” she further added.