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| SKIMS flouts court order, operates on cancer patients unethically | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, Apr 10: After being reprimanded by J&K High Court over its casual approach towards treating cancer patients, Director Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura and his coterie have found a new way to flout the court orders.
The High Court had recently appointed Advocate Bashir Ahmad Bashir as Amicus Curie to assist the court in the case after taking suo-moto cognisance of media reports about increase in the cancer cases during the past few years and lack of infrastructure to deal with the life threatening disease.
The court had also sought a report from the government in this direction.
"SKIMS authorities to save their skin have found a new way to cheat both the patients and the court order. After the court directions, the Director SKIMS Soura Dr Showkat Ali Zarger called a meeting and asked the general surgeons to operate upon cancer patients which is violation of the protocol," sources told Early Times.
"Instead of fulfilling his duties, the Director to escape from the blame is indulging into unethical procedures which may prove deadly for hundreds of cancer patients waiting for the surgeries in the lone tertiary care hospital of the Valley," they warned.
The Surgical Oncology Department which was started in 2011 to operate upon cancer patients for better result, lacks the manpower and infrastructure even after five years of its establishment due to the lax approach of the SKIMS director.
A senior doctor at the hospital said Surgical Oncology department is facing troubles in terms of beds, theatres, manpower and equipment. "If a person has heart problem he visits a Cardiologist, if he has fracture he visits bone specialist. Similarly a cancer patient has to be treated by a Surgical Oncologist. But unfortunately to promote private practioners mafia at the SKIMS, the Director has left no stone unturned to make the Surgical Onclogu department defunct over the years," he claimed.
The official documents reveal that vide a Cabinet decision No 171/45 dated 4th Oct, 2000 and the Govt order no 195-F of 2000 dated October 2000, it was ordered that the doctors and the paramedical staff of SKIMS shall not indulge in any kind of private practice.
Subsequently in 2000 the private practice by a SKIMS doctor or paramedic was declared as criminal offence. "The criminal law (amendment) ordinance no II of 2001 dated 10th July 2001 was followed by the criminal law (amendment) act, no. XXVI of 2002 dated 23rd April 2002, passed by a unanimous vote of J&K legislature... It provided that any medical and paramedical staff of SKIMS shall be deemed to have committed the offence of criminal misconduct if he/ she resorts to private practice in any form or manner," official documents of the SKIMS Governing Body read.
But unfortunately this piece of law exists only in books and is not meant for this strong mafia with political patronage.
Since last few years news papers have tried to bring it to official and public notice that how cancer patients are either being miss managed at SKIMS by professionals who are not trained and how poor people die in wait list as the departments having expertise have not been provided with logistics. However, unfortunately authorities are either tight lipped or are trying to mislead the people.
Department of Cancer Surgery at SKIMS started in 2011 with the intention that like in other parts of world cancer surgeries will be operated by Cancer Surgeons for better results but unfortunately till date this department is badly facing troubles in terms of beds, theatres, manpower and equipment.
Sources say last December late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had promised to a group of civil society members to address such sensitive issues at SKIMS for better patient care. "At that time late Mufti Sahib was also apprised that two senior in service professors of SKIMS (HoD General Surgery and HoD Neurosurgery) infamous for indulging in private practice were set to be members of the Governing Body and apical selection of this prestigious institutions in Kashmir and on investigating the matter Late Mufti sahib was kind enough to keep that decision on hold," sources added.
Now the onus lies on incumbent Chief Minister. |
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