Maharashtra: 54 Nanded civic staff found absent during surprise check; show-cause notices issued

The Nanded civic body in Maharashtra conducted a surprise inspection and issued showcause notices to 54 employees who were found absent from duty during office hours officials saidA special inspection squad conducted surprise checks across various departments of the NandedWaghala City Municipal Corporation on Monday morning PTI reportedAs many as 54 employees were found absent from their workplaces during office hours the civic body saidThe administration has sought written explanations from all 54 employees asking them to explain why disciplinary and punitive action should not be initiated against them for violating office rulesMunicipal offices are key centres for providing essential services to citizens and laxity in attendance wearing uniforms and carrying identity cards will not be tolerated the civic body stressedSurprise visit at Mumbais KEM Hospital exposes alleged treatment delaysIn July Mumbais KEM Hospital came under scrutiny after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC Health Committee Chairman Harish Bhandirge conducted a surprise inspection at the civicrun facility and allegedly uncovered serious lapses in patient care and hospital administrationAccording to a statement issued by Bhandirge the inspection revealed prolonged delays in emergency treatment the absence of doctors from designated duty points and poor communication with patients relativesHe called for a highlevel inquiry and immediate action against those found responsiblePatient allegedly waited nearly 10 hours for admissionThe inspection was triggered by a complaint regarding a patient who was reportedly brought to the hospitals casualty department at around 11 am According to the statement the patients admission process began only around 1030 pm resulting in a wait of nearly 10 hoursBhandirge claimed that when he attempted to contact the hospitals Chief Medical Officer CMO to seek information about the delay he was informed that hospital staff had been instructed not to accept calls or references from public representativesHe alleged that such a response reflected a disregard for accountability and could adversely affect patient welfareSurprise visit reveals delays and staff shortagesFollowing the telephonic exchange Bhandirge visited KEM Hospital around midnight to assess the situation firsthandDuring the inspection he reportedly found that patients in the casualty department were waiting up to two hours even for preliminary examinationsDoctors expected to be stationed in examination rooms were allegedly absent while Assistant Medical Officers AMOs reportedly took considerable time to arrive despite being calledThe statement further claimed that some staff members told him they do not respond to personal mobile calls or entertain calls from public representativesDean cites growing patient loadDuring a discussion with KEM Hospital Dean Dr Harish Pathak at around 130 am the issue of increasing patient footfall and pressure on available medical staff was raisedAccording to the statement Bhandirge acknowledged the growing burden on civic hospitals but stressed that rising patient numbers cannot be used to justify deficiencies in service delivery He emphasised the need for better planning adequate staffing and stronger administrative accountability to ensure that patient care is not compromisedWith PTI inputs