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Sweeper caught treating patient in Bengal
In a re-run of the recent incident at the Bulandshahr district hospital, a sweeper was caught administering sutures to a patient at SSKM Hospital, West Bengal's largest and eastern India's premier medical research institute.
In a re-run of the recent incident at the Bulandshahr district hospital, a sweeper was caught administering sutures to a patient at SSKM Hospital, West Bengal's largest and eastern India's premier medical research institute.
On Thursday afternoon, Jagat, a sweeper, was caught stitching the forehead of a male patient in the emergency ward. The man was brought to the hospital following an accident.
The incident sparked outrage among the medical fraternity. The union health ministry said it would seek a report from the state government on Friday.
"These are cases of aberration," Union health secretary PK Pradhan told HT on phone from Delhi. "Such incidents can never be encouraged."
The hospital sounded defensive and in its preliminary explanation, echoed the doctors of the Bulandshahr hospital.
"We will probe the matter," said Professor Pradip Kumar Mitra, director of SSKM Medical College hospital. "Some Group D employees are trained to give injections or stitches because of their prolonged association with doctors."
With chief minister Mamata Banerjee retaining the health portfolio, the government was on the backfoot too.
"I have heard about the incident. Our officers are looking into it," said Banerjee's deputy in the health department, Chandrima Bhattacharya.
"It is not a desirable situation. But the ground realities are such that group D employees do carry out such jobs," said Subrata Maitra, chairman of the taskforce on healthcare.
