Bulandshahr:
Three days after the shocking story of sweepers and ward boys treating patients at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh came to light, the state government has finally swung into action. The Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of the Babu Banarsi Das District hospital in Bulandshahr has been removed. A ward boy, who was caught on camera giving stitches to patients, has also been suspended.
NDTV had, on Monday, aired a video of a sweeper - meant to perform largely janitorial functions - giving stitches to a young boy. Another video showed, Surya, the ward boy, giving tetanus shots to patients as well as stitching wounds. Also caught on camera was the CMS of the Hospital, Dr Shishir Kumar, who was seen standing by and watching as one of the attendants treated a patient. On tape, Dr Kumar stands by, not seeming to intervene or look around for one of the 23 doctors registered at the hospital.
"We want to assure people that a lot of improvement has taken place in health services. Best medicines would be provided and corrupt and incapable doctors will be terminated," Health Minister Ahmad Hasan said.
Mr Hasan had announced an inquiry as soon as the videos were aired. He, though, in a seeming justification of the actions, had said that too many emergencies at the hospital resulted in attendants doing the job of doctors.
But the incident at the Bulandshahr hospital is not an isolated one as was clear from a similar story that came to the fore just a day after. On Tuesday, a video showed a cleaner giving stitches to a young boy in a hospital in Ballia district, thus proving that the menace plagues several government hospitals across the state.