Bharatpur Metropolitan City has started investigation after theft of slippers, masks, sanitizer and other materials from the coronavirus hospital operated by the Bharatpur Hospital.
The probe committee under Chairman of Chitwan Chamber of Commerce and Industries Raju Paudel has one representative each from the metropolis and the hospital. It was formed after CCTV footage of hospital staffers stealing the materials from its store during the night was published by the media.
The video shows hospital accountant Phanindra Khanal, another staffer Sanjay Baral and health officer of the metropolis Surya Tiwari taking away materials from the hospital store.
The quantity of the material they stole and where they sold that have yet to be known.
"Theft of materials at this time of pandemic is unfortunate," Deputy Mayor of Bharatpur Parvati Shah Thakuri told Setopati. "We have formed a committee on Monday to find who stole the materials and in what quantity?"
She said the metropolis has yet to decide about its representative in the committee even as it has been given a deadline of week to submit the report. "The staffers (seen stealing in the video) have already been recalled by the hospital and metropolis. The committee will do necessary investigation. We have also said investigation should be done by an all-party committee."
The coronavirus hospital is in operation under the Bharatpur Hospital since the start of Nepali New Year. Decision to operate the hospital under Bharatpur Hospital was taken on April 3 but the hospital had handed over the equipment to Bharatpur Hospital only on the New Year.
The staffers have been accused of stealing the materials from the store at around 9:30 April 12 night before the handover.
Chitwan Congress, meanwhile, has demanded investigation of theft of materials from hospital at the time of crisis. Issuing a statement on Tuesday, the party's district president Jit Narayan Shrestha has demanded an all-party powerful committee to investigate the theft and reveal all the financial activities of the hospital till date.
