Facing flak, AIIMS Delhi withdraws letter on SOPs for parliamentarians
New Delhi, Oct 21: The AIIMS administration on Friday withdrew a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) it had issued that included providing a nodal officer to coordinate and facilitate treatment for MPs, a day after facing flak from a section of doctors.
In a recent letter to Y M Kandpal, joint secretary at the Lok Sabha Secretariat, AIIMS Director M Srinivas listed the SOPs for outpatient department (OPD), emergency consultation and in-patient hospitalisation of members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
In his letter, Srinivas has said duty officers from the department of hospital administration will be available at the AIIMS control room round-the-clock to coordinate and facilitate arrangements.
The move drew sharp criticism from several associations of doctors who called out the "VIP culture" at the premier health institute.
On Friday, the hospital administration withdrew the letter.
"Letter dated October 17 on the 'medical arrangements for sitting Members of Parliament in AIIMS' may be treated as withdrawn with immediate effect," the latest letter signed by Chief Administrative Officer Deo Nath Sah wrote.
Soon after this, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) tweeted: "So, Special Privilege stands withdrawn. Proud of everyone who supported."
In another tweet, it said, "A voice of reason, rationale and resolve can make a big difference. We thank everyone for their support and stand against the VIP culture in healthcare. It's a shared success!"
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) said, "We always stand against #VIP culture! We will never compromise with our stand! ... Director had to withdrawn letter of Special treatment for #MPs (sic)!"
The FORDA had on Thursday questioned the SOP, highlighting that the special privilege to MPs might come at the cost of ordinary patients.
The AIIMS director had in his letter said MP's staff could call up the officer on duty.
The officer, also a qualified medical professional, would in turn speak to the specialist or super-specialist doctor or the head of the department concerned to fix an appointment, it had mentioned.
In case of any emergency, the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha secretariats or the MP's staff could contact the duty officer, who would guide them to emergency services, the now-withdrawn letter had said.
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) had also tweeted and shared a letter sent to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, appealing to him to take cognisance of the issue.
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“Ghar Wapsi” VHP reacts to AR Rahman’s remarks on lack of work in Bollywood
New Delhi: The A. R. Rahman’s recent comments about not getting work in Bollywood have drawn a strong reaction from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal on Saturday said that if Rahman wanted to get work again, he should “ghar wapsi”. His comments came after Rahman suggested that he may have lost work in the Hindi film industry over the past eight years, possibly due to communal reasons.
Reacting to this, Bansal alleged that Rahman had come to be identified with a particular group. He also claimed that Rahman appeared to be following the line of former Vice President Hamid Ansari, alleging that Ansari had enjoyed benefits and constitutional positions for ten years but later made statements that, according to him, insulted India.
Continuing his criticism, Bansal said that Rahman was once admired by Indians, including Hindus, but instead of reflecting on why he was not getting work, he was making remarks against the system and bringing disrepute to the film industry. He further claimed that Rahman was once a Hindu and questioned why he converted to Islam, adding that “ghar wapsi” could help him get work again. Such statements, he said, may suit politicians but not artists.
Rahman had made the remarks during an interview to the BBC Asian Network. In the interview, he said that for several years he had felt like an outsider in Bollywood and that he had not received work for the past eight years. Speaking about possible reasons, he said it could be communalism, though he added that it was not something directly in front of him.
Rahman also said he was not chasing work and that everything was fine. He added that he now had more time to spend with his family and believed that work should come to him based on honesty and merit, and that he would get what was meant for him.
