PGI admn’s insensitivity comes to fore

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

A woman, who was bleeding from a hand injury at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here, which boasts of providing world-class treatment, was lifted by private security guards and dumped at a vacant plot here.

The woman, who was from Balachaur, was sitting outside the back door of the new Out Patient Department (OPD) after suffering from a bout of depression.

The incident has yet again brought to fore the fact that the OPD, which receives nearly 12,000 patients and similar number of attendants daily, sans Emergency services. To top it all, there is no first-aid kit in the OPD to provide immediate medical care.

The incident took place this morning when the woman, who was stated to be a psychiatry patient, was taken to the PGI by her husband. On the ground floor, she reportedly suffered from a bout of depression and got agitated.

She reportedly fell from the stairs and injured her hand. Some employees of the PGI surrounded her and tried to console her. In the absence of first-aid kit, her hand kept bleeding.

Soon, one of the senior PGI employees learnt about the incident and informed the authorities to rush women security staff so that she could be brought to the emergency for treatment.

The staff also demanded a stretcher to ferry the woman, but it was not provided. After half-and-hour, instead of sending women security guards, the authorities sent four male security guards who lifted the woman and dumped her at a vacant plot.

The episode left patients and their relatives, who watched the entire episode, fuming. Everyone present there was complaining that the woman instead of being given treatment was left at a vacant plot located at some distance.

Manju Wadwalkar, Public Relations Officer, said PC Sharma, chief security officer of the PGI, would comment on the issue. PC Sharma was available for comments despite repeated attempts. When this reporter visited his office, it was told he was on half-day leave today.

Woman a psychiatry patient

The incident took place on Thursday morning when the woman, who was stated to be a psychiatry patient, was taken to the PGI by her husband. On the ground floor, she reportedly suffered from a bout of depression and got agitated. She reportedly fell from the stairs and injured her hand. Some employees of the PGI surrounded her and tried to console her. In the absence of first-aid kit, her hand kept bleeding.