AIIMS goes ahead with resident docs' suspension, orders probe

In a dramatic turn of events, the AIIMS administration today restored its order of suspending five resident doctors over a nurse's death after minutes of deciding to revoke it when the Resident Doctors Association went into celebration mode and the nurses' union objected to it.
Also, an eight-member committee under the chairmanship of Dr S C Sharma, head of the ENT department, has been constituted to probe into the death of the pregnant nurse due to alleged negligence.
AIIMS yesterday had suspended the five resident doctors following nursing union's protest. Nurses' Union had demanded action against the doctors and had threatened to go on strike following which a committee led by medical superintendent was also constituted.

According to sources, based on an interim report, an agreement was reached among the administration, Nurses' Union and RDA today, that the suspension will be withdrawn and the five doctors will go on leave till the new committee submits its report.
"However, the consensus eluded as the doctors started celebrating the decisions and the Nurses Union took objection to it and changed their stance. Following this, the administration decided to continue with the suspension order," a source said.
"This is to inform you that AIIMS Nurses Union rejects the proposal to revoke the suspension of five resident doctors in the meeting called by Director AIIMS at 5 pm on February 6 and hereby intimate to you if any such order will be released then we will be forced to take extreme step," the Nurses' Union said in a letter to the Acting Director.

The RDA had opposed the move of suspending the doctors and had served an ultimatum to the AIIMS administration that if the suspension, which was allegedly taken following protest by Nurses' Union, is not withdrawn, it would go on strike.

According to RDA officials, the five doctors, who were on duty in the operation theatre, had decided to perform a cesarean surgery on the nurse, Rajbir Kaur, as there were some complications.
The nurse suffered a cardiac arrest during the surgery, leading to more complications. But without taking this into consideration, the administration put them under suspension, a senior RDA official said.

According to Sukhlal Jat, a member of the nurses' union, Kaur was admitted to the hospital for a normal delivery on January 16. During treatment, she lost her baby and was put on life support. She died on Saturday night.