Nurses Union Alleges CTVS Professor of harassment, AIIMS orders inquiry

New Delhi: Inquiry has been initiated against a senior faculty member at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) based on the accusations that the professor had allegedly intimidated, threatened and verbally abused three nursing officers in public while delivering their official duty at a Namaste Campaign.

According to the Nursing union, which held a protest recently demanding action against the professor of Cardiothoracic And Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department at AIIMS, the senior faculty allegedly used abusive language at three nursing officers on duty on November 18 and had torn posters of their campaign.

The campaign, organised by the Hospital Infection Control Team of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre (CTC) department of AIIMS, was launched as part of the Save Antibiotics Week. The campaign aimed to make people aware that shaking hands can lead to the transfer of infection from one person to another and so people should greet each other with namaste.

It has been alleged that the doctor while passing by them questioned the validity of the campaign and also tore campaign posters off the wall. Aggrieved with the alleged incident, the nurses complained to the AIIMS Nurses' Union which accordingly appointed a committee to look into the issue.

The matter further reached the Institute's top authorities, however, seeing that no action has been taken; the ANU moved the Insitute's Director and wrote him a letter seeking action against the accused professor.

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"A committee has been constituted by the administration to investigate the matter. The committee appointed is chaired by Soja Siva, Treasurer ANU has observed that the allegations against doctor were found true and he does not have any authority to intervene directly in the Namaste Campaign conducted by Hospital Infection Control (HIC) team of Cardio-Thoracic Centre (CTC)," read a letter by AIIMS Nursing Union to the Director, reports PTI

"It is embarrassing to note that no action has been taken against the accused till now, even though a complaint was given to the director with a copy to DDA, Chief of Cardio Centre and HOD CTVS," said Harish Kumar Kajla, President of AIIMS' Nursing Union.

"We request to take stringent action against the accused and deliver justice to the victims at the earliest to ensure a safe working environment in this grand old institute," the ANU urged the authorities; adds ANI report.

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