In another case of medical negligence at government hospitals, a video has surfaced online which shows a peon, dressed in his khaki uniforms stitching a patient’s wound in the emergency ward of Rohtak Civil Hospital in Haryana. The video of the incident, which occurred on November 10, was shot by the patient’s relatives. Reportedly, the patient said that even though the doctor was present in the room, he did not attend to him.

What had happened?

The patient told ANI, “I was continuously bleeding but wasn’t offered any painkiller. A fourth class employee, a peon, came and started stitching the wound. The doctor was also sitting nearby.” Reportedly, he consulted another doctor afterwards who informed him that the stitches were not done right and bandaged him again. The patient, Joginder Kumar, a resident of Kripal Nagar of Rohtak district was rushed to the hospital after he had hurt his hand. 

The Times Of India has reported that this is the second such case in the last three months. In August, a Class IV employee was found stitching the wounds of an accident victim in another government-run hospital in Rohtak’s Sampla area.

What did the authorities have to say?

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on November 12 said that the Haryana government has almost doubled the seats of MBBS admissions to address the problem of shortage of doctors in the state and that actions are taken whenever such incidents are reported.

Some incidents do get reported & we take immediate action. We are increasing the numbers of medical colleges. There is a requirement for more doctors as the number of doctors is less now. Admission in MBBS course has doubled since 2013: Haryana CM ML Khattar (Nov 12) pic.twitter.com/KMd3fGG6W4

— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2018

He added that the government has been making efforts to increase the number of seats in addition to increasing the number of medical colleges. He said, “When we came to power in the state in 2014, a total number of 7,500 MBBS admissions took place. The number has doubled to 14,500 this year.” He further claimed that the situation in Haryana is better than in other states.

Rohtak chief medical officer, Dr Anil Kumar Birla said that the video is genuine and he has also ordered a probe. He added that due action would be taken against those who are found guilty of negligence.

While the condition of government-funded medical care is already pitiful, such medical apathy just adds to the woes of those who are faced with difficult situations. The Logical Indian urges the government and the authorities to look into the situation and take strict actions against those found guilty, so as to stop such incidents from taking place in the future.

Also Read: Delhi: Pvt Hospital Asked To Pay Rs 25 Lakh To Patient’s Kin For ‘Deficiency’ In Service