VIP counter at AIIMS for cases sent by Health Minister's OSD

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has opened a 'new counter' to cater exclusively to patients recommended by the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Union Health Minister J P Nadda and VIP references from Members of Parliament, according to a report published by The Indian Express.

Nadda also holds the post of president, AIIMS. "In order to address the concerns of OSD to President, AIIMS and to streamline the OPD registration (new and follow-up) of patients recommended by the OSD to President, AIIMS and Members of Parliament, an additional counter shall be opened with effect from March 1, 2017," says a circular issued by the AIIMS administration on February 23, further reported the daily. 

“This new counter will cater exclusively to the patients recommended by the OSD to President, AIIMS and VIP references from Hon’ble MPs after being duly forwarded by the authority in AIIMS they have been marked to,” it says.

According to the circular, the OSD to the Health Minister will decide if a reference made by a doctor qualifies as a VIP or not. Other officials authorised to decide a VIP referral are the director, medical superintendent and senior financial advisor of AIIMS.

Earlier, the media and protocol division at AIIMS would facilitate the registration process for 'VIP references', but there was no exclusive counter for them. Now, the AIIMS administration has officially started a mechanism to ensure smooth registration for 'VIP references', opening a new counter at the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur OPD.

On an average, AIIMS gets more than 10,000 patients daily at its OPD counters.''But with the new move, the VIP patients can consult any time till the OPD is functional. The VIP patients need no online registration if they have been referred from one department to another, as they have special counters dedicated to them," said a faculty member at AIIMS, said the report. 

However, the move has drawn ire of the Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIIMS) which saw it as the administration’s “brazen attempt” to promote VIP culture in the premier institute, reported Hindustan Times.