Delhi Health minister issued a showcause notice to a doctor at the ART clinic in Delhi

April 21, 2009

[Though, a bit old, this is an interesting news. Anybody is aware of the latest

situtation of the ART centres mentioned in this new item? Thanks. Editor AIDS

INDA]

Health minister sees red

6 Apr 2009, 0328 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: AIDS may be a dreaded word everywhere but Delhi government hospitals

are still far from learning the basic safety lessons. Health minister Kiran

Walia learnt this firsthand during surprise visits to five government hospitals.

Walia issued a showcause notice to a doctor at the ART clinic of Lok Nayak

Hospital when she found used needles lying everywhere. At all the five

hospitals, the needle destroyer - a machine which destroys used needles to

prevent their reuse - was found defunct. An irate minister has sent letters to

the medical superintendents of Aruna Asaf ali, Ambedkar, Lok Nayak, Susrut

Trauma Centre and Babu Jagjeevan Ram telling them such negligence will not be

tolerated and basic needle safety norms will have to be enforced at all costs.

Speaking to Times City Walia said: " What I saw at Lok Nayak was horrifying.

There was no system of disposal of needles even in the AIDS clinic. There is a

huge risk of infections from handling used needles and all the basic lessons of

hospital waste disposal had been thrown to the winds there. I have issued a

showcause notice to the doctor.''

Walia, according to sources had pushed for a suspension but then it transpired

that the doctor in question is on contract. " The offence was serious enough to

warrant sacking but we have given him a chance to explain his reasons for such

gross negligence,'' Walia added.

While her reaction in Lok Nayak was extreme because of the immediate and more

pronounced infection hazards in the ART clinic, elsewhere the situation was just

as grim. The needle destroyer is a simple machine that burns and disinfects

needles and also breaks off the tip so that there is no chance of reuse. This

machine which is mandatory for all hospitals had not been functioning for

varying periods.

" In fact in one hospital it was obvious that the size of the needle and the

capacity of the machine were not matching. They tried to convince me that the

needle does fit but when I asked them to demonstrate, they could not prove what

they were saying.

Then I was told that this is a fresh batch of needles and hence the problem. It

is obvious that they have lost the habit of using the machine,'' Walia said. She

added that she has written stern letters to the hospitals.

62623.cms

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