Haren Debnath, a Group D employee of SSKM Hospital arrested on charges of molesting a patient, was granted bail on Thursday. The hospital has started an inquiry against him.

Debnath, standing in for a technician at the hospital’s cardio-vascular department, allegedly molested the woman when she was wheeled in for an ECG on Tuesday evening.

He was arrested after being identified by the victim on Wednesday and produced at the chief judicial magistrate’s court, Alipore, on Thursday.

Thursday also saw the woman from Nonachandan Pukur in Barrackpore leave the hospital.

“She was feeling insecure here and asked me to take her back home,” said her husband P. De.

State health department officers said steps would be taken against Debnath once the inquiry was complete. “If the charges are proved strong action will be taken against him,” said Sanchita Bakshi, director of health services.

State health department sources said an insufficient number of ECG technicians in state-run hospitals forced the authorities to ask Group D staff to stand in.

“The posts of 80 ECG technicians are vacant in state-run health institutes. Many of these vacancies are in Calcutta’s medical college and hospitals,” said a health department officer, adding that the number of sanctioned posts also needed to be increased.