Koraput |10th Sept 2025: There is no night shelter facility available for patient attendants at Sahid Laxman Nayak (SLN) Medical College & Hospital, Koraput. Thousands of patients rely on this hospital daily for treatment, not only from Koraput district but also from the entire undivided Koraput region.
However, the relatives who accompany patients often face severe difficulties due to the lack of proper accommodation. As many patients are admitted for days at a time, their attendants have no place to rest at night and are seen struggling for shelter, often resorting to sleeping in hospital corridors.
Due to the absence of basic amenities, these attendants are also frequently harassed by anti-social elements and, at times, fall victim to theft and other crimes during the night.
One such attendant, Jagadish Pattnaik from Umerkote in Nabarangpur district, who came to the hospital with a critically injured accident victim, said that he had to spend the night outside the hospital, in the open, with stray dogs and cattle roaming nearby, and barely found a place to eat or sleep.
There is growing concern that in a tribal-dominated and economically backward region like undivided Koraput, attendants often suffer more than the patients themselves. While modern healthcare services are being expanded by the government, no arrangement has been made for attendants who travel from distant villages.
It is especially challenging during the rainy season, as people are left exposed to the elements, with no shelter, beds, or resting facilities. Ironically, while there are dedicated parking sheds and multiple parking lots for vehicles inside the medical campus, there’s no consideration for the comfort of humans, i.e., the attendants of the patients.
Despite repeated complaints to authorities, no action has been taken, and there seems to be no seriousness or compassion toward solving this issue.