Probe ordered into Bulandshahr hospital issue: doctors support act
Lucknow, Jul 10 : Uttar Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident where a ward boy and a sweeper jointly carried out a surgical intervention on a boy who was injured in an accident in Bulandshahr on Sunday.
State Health Minister Ahmad Hasan said here today that an officer of the rank of Additional Director from Meerut would inquire into the incident. "The focus would be the circumstances wherein these class IV employees were asked to operate upon the injured. Once the report is tabled, the government will take action," Mr Hasan told reporters here.
On Sunday, 17 people were injured in a road accident and rushed to Babu Banarsi Das Memorial Hospital in Bulandshar. Ironically, a ward boy Ayub and a sweeper Suraj attended to a injured boy and jointly and also applied two stitches before administering an injection.
While the hospital administration was in denial mode claiming that the ward boy and sweeper did not operate the boy, doctors maintained that the person attending on the patient was a trained OT technician.
The act was, however, caught on camera sparking a furore in the medical fraternity over the attitude of doctors in treating patients, particularly mishap victims. There are 23 doctors in the District hospital.
Questions were being raised that if ward boys were competent enough to treat patients why is the government employing MBBS doctors.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr SHS Tanu justified the surgical intervention by the class IV employees saying it was an emergency. The doctors were attending to other patients so they gave two stitches to stop bloodflow. " There are times when class IV employees help doctors and attend to patients. The said ward boy is trained and has been assisting in OTs for the last 10 years under my supervision," he said.
President, Indian Medical Association, UP chapter Dr A M Khan justified the role of class IV employees in giving medical aid at that time. "It was an emergency and priority was to stop the bleeding and if the ward boy gave stitches, hence it is justified," he said.
Dr Khan said ward boys help doctors in providing medical aid during emergencies and if the said person is experienced he learns even minor surgeries like giving stitches.