Delhi High Court pulls up AIIMS for not conducting critical surgeries

AIIMS says operations put on hold due to Covid-19; asked to reply to HC by August 21
Delhi High Court (File Photo | PTI)
Delhi High Court (File Photo | PTI)

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday questioned the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi over the functioning of critical surgeries at the institution and issued a notice in the matter.

The premier healthcare institute has been asked to respond to the court by August 21, as to why certain surgeries were not taking place at the medical facility.

The matter came to the fore during a hearing of a case related to refusal of surgery by AIIMS. When pulled up, AIIMS said that surgeries had been put on hold due to the impact of the novel coronavirus.

The HC has asked the AIIMS administration to give a written reply on the same to be submitted before Friday this week, which is the day for next hearing related to the matter.

The petition has been filed by a 38-year-old woman, Gulshan Farooqi, from Kanpur who had earlier come to the institution for a surgery on August 8.

Gulshan was diagnosed with a large fibroid in her uterus and also suffers from severe anaemia. Owing to her complications, doctors had recommended her to get treated at AIIMS, New Delhi.

“The kind of treatment she requires is possible only at a premier institute and she came to AIIMS after being recommended by other doctors. However, after she was denied admission we took the help of Union Health Minister to get her admitted. In return, AIIMS came up with a response that owing to coronavirus the critical surgeries have been stalled. If AIIMS halts emergency and non-COVID surgeries then where will these patients go, this is a serious issue,” said advocate Ashok Aggarwal.

The hospital administration, however, denied any such claims of stalling critical surgeries in view of the coronavirus pandemic and labelled them as false accusations.

“Cancer surgeries, ortho, neurosurgeries and even emergency surgeries have continuously been taking place here. The critical surgeries were never stopped, even during the lockdown phase surgeries continued based on the priority of the cases,” said an official of the medical institute.OPD’s were closed during the period of lockdown but since ‘Unlock’ those services have also resumed.

AIIMS denies claims

The hospital administration has denied claims of stalling critical surgeries in view of the COVID-29 pandemic and labelled them as false accusations.

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