Mandatory ID norms flouted at Rohtak PGIMS; Director issues stern warning

Wednesday morning at the PGIMS began like any other day. Crowded corridors, attendants lining up to get OPD cards and patients were waiting patiently outside doctors’ rooms in the OPD block but then something unexpected happened.

PGIMS Director Dr SK Singhal walked in for a surprise inspection. What he found left him visibly displeased that several doctors, including senior residents and postgraduate students, were working there without wearing their mandatory identity cards despite clear directives from the administration. The practice of wearing both aprons and I-cards has been made compulsory at the PGIMS to ensure transparency and accountability in patient care.

During the inspection, when questioned by the Director, several doctors offered a range of excuses. “I left my I-card in the car,” “I just came from the ward after night duty,” and “I was in a hurry coming from the operation theatre,” were some of the common explanations offered. Even some senior doctors were checking patients in the OPD without proper identification.

Dr Singhal expressed displeasure over the violation of protocol and issued a stern warning. “Wearing an I-card is essential so that the patients and attendants can identify who is treating them. It is also critical from an administrative perspective to monitor who is on duty. Despite repeated instructions, several doctors are not complying with this basic requirement,” he told The Tribune.

He added that all employees, including doctors, residents and postgraduate students, must wear their I-cards at all times while on duty, whether in the OPD or wards. “Non-compliance will invite strict disciplinary action,” the director warned. During the inspection, Dr Singhal also found the lift operators standing outside the lifts, leaving patients and their attendants to operate them on their own. Taking a serious note of it, he issued clear instructions that all lift operators must remain inside the lifts and operate them from there to ensure ease for the patients. “It is often observed that the lift operators remain outside the lifts, causing inconvenience to the patients. During the inspection, it was also found that computers available in several departments were not being used. I have directed all departments to share these computers with other doctors so that the patients’ reports can be viewed online, thereby speeding up the treatment process,” said Dr Singhal. He said providing high-quality medical facilities to the patients at the PGIMS is the institution’s top priority. “Swift action will be taken to address the shortcomings identified during the inspection so that the patients do not face any kind of inconvenience,” he added.

The Director also took feedback from the patients and attendants at the OPD.