Veteran Leader Damodar Rout Critical

Bhubaneswar: Veteran leader and former Odisha Minister Damodar Rout is critical and almost brain dead, informed his son and MLA Sambit Routray on Thursday.

As per Sambit, his father and senior BJD leader suffered a cardiac arrest on March 18. Initially, the family rushed the veteran leader to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar at around 3 pm and later shifted to a private hospital. However, the ‘doctors at the Capital Hospital did not provide CPR during the crisis situation despite several requests’, Sambit alleged. According to Sambit, there was a delay of 15 to 20 minutes in shifting his father to a private hospital. As a result, his brain suffered extensive damage due to lack of oxygen supply to the brain.

“My father’s heart started functioning after CPR was given at the private hospital but his brain is not functioning. His condition is very critical,” Routray added. Meanwhile, the authorities of Capital Hospital could not be contacted over the allegations levelled by the senior leader’s son.