NEW DELHI: Having drawn flak from the medical community, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on Friday took a U-turn on the controversial SOPs it specifically designed to facilitate special arrangements for the treatment of MP and patients referred by them.
The move came two days after a letter written by the institute’s director Dr M Srinivas to YM Kandpal, joint secretary in the Lok Sabha Secretariat, mentioned an 11-point SOPs to facilitate special arrangements for all sitting MPs.
One of its 11 points was that “all other patients” referred to AIIMS by MPs “will be provided due assistance by the Media and Protocol Division.” This came after a meeting with the secretary from the Lok Sabha Secretariat had with Srinivas on October 13.
According to the SOPs, the hospital had decided to deploy duty officers round the clock to act as an intermediary to “coordinate and facilitate requisite medical care arrangements for Hon’ble sitting MPs.”
Apart from being an intermediary, the duty officer was supposed to ensure that MPs receive immediate medical attention at the hospital. Yet another point said an officer will personally speak to treating doctors to ensure “hassle-free” personal care and the medical needs of the lawmakers.
However, the institute’s decision met with severe criticism from doctors’ associations who said the move would promote “VIP culture” in the top government hospital. The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) questioned PM Modi over the “VIP culture”. “On the one hand, our Prime Minister talks of removing the VIP culture, but on the other, we have this set of SOPs,” said a tweet by the FAIMA