Managing infra not surgeon’s job: Dahiya

Congress leader and former national vice-president of the IMA Dr Navjot Dahiya said the recent termination of a house surgeon at the Civil Hospital in connection with the oxygen-related deaths is deeply disturbing and unjust. He said it raises serious concerns about the accountability mechanisms within the public healthcare system.

“While the loss of patient lives due to oxygen cut-off is undeniably tragic and demands a thorough investigation, it is absolutely unacceptable that a junior doctor — a house surgeon still under training — is being made the scapegoat for what is clearly a systemic and administrative failure”, he said.

Dr Dahiya raised questions, “Who was responsible for ensuring oxygen supply and storage? Why were timely alerts not raised by the hospital administration? Were senior officers, including the medical superintendent and civil surgeon, unaware of the critical situation? Why is no accountability being fixed at the level of supply chain, infrastructure management, or administrative oversight?”

He added, “The role of a house surgeon is clinical and supervisory. It is neither his responsibility, nor within his power to manage logistical or infrastructural issues like oxygen procurement or cylinder maintenance.”

On Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, Dr Dahiya said, “I ask him, who himself is a doctor and began his medical journey as a house surgeon, ‘Have you forgotten what are the responsibilities of a house surgeon? Did you ever manage oxygen cylinders or hospital supply chains during your internship?’”

The former IMA functionary listed out his demands, “There should be an immediate revocation of the termination order against the house surgeon. A fair and independent inquiry should be held into the incident to fix responsibility on the actual decision-makers. The government must ensure better infrastructure and accountability mechanisms to prevent recurrence.”

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Did you manage oxygen cylinder when you were intern, Dr Balbir

"Have you forgotten what are the responsibilities of a house surgeon? Did you ever manage oxygen cylinders or hospital supply chains during your internship?"

— Dr Navjot Dahiya, ex-vice-president, IMA