Bhubaneswar, March 17 (NationPress) Following the devastating fire incident at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, which resulted in the loss of 12 lives on Monday, the Opposition parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Indian National Congress, initiated a significant protest in the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday, demanding the immediate resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling on moral grounds.

As the Question Hour commenced on Tuesday, members of the Opposition party, armed with posters, surged towards the podium of Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, chanting anti-government slogans and insisting on the health minister's resignation.

The House was adjourned first until 12 noon and later until 4 p.m. due to the ongoing uproar.

During the zero-hour proceedings, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik expressed, “Yesterday, I visited SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. What I observed was not merely the aftermath of a tragic incident but a glaring reminder of the deteriorating safety standards in our state's foremost healthcare facility.”

Offering his heartfelt condolences to the families affected, Patnaik further remarked that patients who had entered the hospital seeking healing faced a tragic fate due to administrative negligence.

Patnaik reiterated the call for Health Minister Mahaling's resignation on moral grounds, stating, “The Health Department cannot evade responsibility while families are in mourning. Although a judicial enquiry is necessary, it does not free the political leadership from accountability. Hence, I demand the immediate resignation of Dr. Mukesh Mahaling. He must accept moral responsibility for this catastrophic lapse in safety oversight.”

The former Chief Minister also criticized the announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia for the families of the deceased as insufficient, advocating for an increase to Rs 50 lakh for each victim's family.

Meanwhile, in response to an Adjournment Motion regarding the incident, Health Minister Mahaling disclosed in the House that the death toll from the SCB fire catastrophe had escalated to 12.

He stated that immediately following the incident, the staff at the Trauma Care Centre worked diligently to transfer 23 patients from the first-floor ICU and nearby wards to other ICU facilities. Tragically, among the patients in the Trauma Care Centre, seven critically ill individuals passed away on the spot. Additionally, five other critically ill patients who had been relocated to different wards subsequently succumbed as well. Mahaling informed that 11 medical staff who participated in the rescue efforts sustained injuries from the fire, but their lives are currently out of danger.

He mentioned that SCB Medical College is equipped with 85 different rooms, and necessary safety standards for each room have been identified. The Public Works Department is tasked with implementing these measures. The room where the fire occurred had a ramp, fire extinguisher, and hydrant present, all of which had been installed over the past six months under the current government.