AIIMS-Delhi issues SOPs for parliamentarians; doctors associations condemn VIP culture

NEW DELHI: Several doctors’ associations have strongly opposed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued for the treatment of sitting members of Parliament at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi (AIIMS) by its director Dr M Srinivas.
Though the order has been issued with a view to streamline treatment facilities, associations allege that this only promotes VVIP culture.
In a letter dated October 17, AIIMS-Delhi director Dr M Srinivas, wrote to YM Kandpal, joint secretary, Lok Sabha on the issue of streamlining OPD, emergency consultation, and inpatient hospitalization services for the Members of Parliament of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
“Duty officers who are qualified medical professionals from department of hospital administration will be available in the control room of the hospital round the clock (room number 12, ground floor private ward block, near MS office) and he would be the nodal officer to coordinate and facilitate requisite medical care arrangements for sitting MPs,” the letter stated.
President of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) Dr Rohan Krishnan, who is orthopaedic surgeon at PGIMSR, Delhi, said, “its very absurd that an AIIMS like institution has issued such SOPs. They are promoting VIP culture across the nation. We have zero tolerance of such culture as medicine is a field where services are provided on the basis of illness not on the basis of caste, creed, religion or the VIP status of an individual. It is unfortunate that the institution which is a trend setter for other medical institutes across the country is doing such a thing.”
He added that it is injustice with the patients who require the attention of the doctors and there should not be any discrimination.
“It’s a very disappointing letter and we request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take cognisance and take appropriate action against the director for releasing such a letter which promotes VIP culture and promotes violence against doctors due to ignorance of general patients,” he said.
President of Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) Dr Aviral Mathur, an anaesthetist in Lok Nayak hospital said, “We condemn VIP culture. No patient should suffer at the cost of another’s privileges.”
He said, having a protocol in place is not a bad thing but designing for a particular strata of population does not set everything right.
“For doctors, every patient is the same and they deserve care. It is really disheartening that the AIIMS doctor is creating a channel for public representatives,” he said.