CCTV CAMERA INOPERATIVE

CCTV CAMERA INOPERATIVE

11-JULY-ENG 3

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------Cameras that were once installed on the walls of the main OPD and registration counters at the Model Building of Sadar Hospital, Ara, have been missing for months.

This peculiar situation goes unnoticed by the healthcare staff, the Civil Surgeon-cum-Superintendent, and the Hospital Manager, as they rarely visit their offices regularly. The complaint box installed at the hospital serves merely as a showpiece.

If you happen to visit Sadar Hospital, Ara, and an untoward incident occurs—whether involving a patient, their accompanying relatives, an inpatient, or an attendant—you and the police will find no evidence or footage. This is because the cameras are either missing or, if present, are non-functional.

With the knowledge and cooperation of the Bhojpur District Magistrate (DM), the Ara MP, and the Ara MLA, the doctors and healthcare staff have effectively handed over the Model Building of Sadar Hospital to touts.

Ever since the roles of Civil Surgeon (Bhojpur) and ACMO-cum-Superintendent were merged into a single person, and a Hospital Manager—originally appointed on contract in another district—was brought to Sadar Hospital on long-term deputation, even minor maintenance work has stalled or ceased completely; this is likely because such small-scale maintenance offers very little scope for commissions.

If an untoward incident occurs and the surveillance cameras are found to be broken or missing, an FIR should be lodged directly against the Hospital Manager. Ensuring proper maintenance and upkeep is the Manager's designated responsibility—the very task for which they were appointed. It is demanded that the state's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Health Minister Nishant Kumar intervene, and that the Bhojpur District Magistrate take *suo motu* cognizance of this highly sensitive issue.