Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik has called for the immediate resignation of State Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling following the devastating fire at the hospital in Cuttack that claimed 12 lives.
Patnaik condemned the tragedy at SCB Medical College and Hospital and demanded that the state provide Rs 50 lakh in compensation to the families of each victim. The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at the facility’s Trauma Care ICU centre.
Speaking to mediapersons, Patnaik described the scene at the hospital as “truly horrifying” following his visit on Monday evening. “I went to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack last evening, and it was a truly horrifying scene there. Ten people had been killed. Five more were in a very delicate state with their injuries. The State Health Minister of the BJP party should also resign, and I’ve demanded compensation of 50 lakhs for each of them who lost their lives. We shall take whatever appropriate action we can in the future,” the veteran politician demanded.
Earlier on Tuesday, Health Minister Mahaling addressed the Odisha Assembly, explaining that the fire originated in a first-floor ICU. He informed that hospital staff managed to evacuate 23 patients from the immediate area and nearby wards during the emergency. Despite these efforts, seven critically ill patients died at the scene, and five more succumbed to their injuries while being treated in other wards.
The rescue operation also took a toll on the hospital’s frontline workers, with 11 staff members sustaining injuries while saving patients. All injured staff are currently receiving medical care and are reported to be out of danger.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his profound grief and visited SCB Medical College in the early hours of March 16. After meeting with the affected families, the CM directed officials to prioritise the recovery of the injured and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 25 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.
The tragedy garnered national attention, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to the Chief Minister to offer his condolences. The Prime Minister’s Office announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM National Relief Fund.
President Droupadi Murmu and Union Health Minister JP Nadda also expressed grief over the tragedy.
The state government has initiated a judicial inquiry led by retired Justice Laxmidhar Biswal into the incident. Furthermore, a high-level inter-departmental fact-finding committee, chaired by Development Commissioner D.K. Singh, has been tasked with identifying the exact cause of the fire.
The government highlighted that fire audits have recently been completed for over 2,000 medical institutions across the state. To bolster safety infrastructure, the government has earmarked specific budgetary allocations of Rs 320 crore for 2025-26 and Rs 400 crore for 2026-27 to prevent future occurrences.
Authorities have assured strict action against those found responsible and emphasised measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
