Nagpur: In a shameful incident at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Nagpur, an employee was suspended for demanding money from a patient’s relative for a stretcher. The suspended employee was one of the 105 employees outsourced by the GMCH, as the hospital has an extreme shortage of permanent staff.
The incident came to light when a relative of a patient arrived at the emergency room and needed assistance to transport their loved one to the casualty ward on Saturday night.
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Tue 21 Oct. 2024
The employee, identified as Vijay Atkar, reportedly demanded Rs 100 for the use of a stretcher, citing the need for an Aadhaar Card as identification proof. The patient’s relative, unable to provide the Aadhaar Card, reluctantly paid the amount. However, he reported the incident to the GMCH Medical Superintendent, Dr Avinash Gawande, who promptly initiated an investigation.
Upon confirmation of the employee’s wrongdoing, Dr Gawande, acting on the instructions of the hospital’s higher authorities, suspended Atkar on Monday. The Medical Superintendent also appealed to the public to report any similar incidents of misconduct by hospital staff.
The incident has raised concerns about the quality of patient care at GMCH, especially given the outsourced nature of the stretcher and wheelchair services. The suspended employee was outsourced from a private company.
