BackNot much under our control in case of VIPs: AIIMS’s D.K. Sharma
Sharma says AIIMS allows VIP visitors because the families feel better when assured by national leaders
Premium(Hindustan Times)
New Delhi: As medical superintendent of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) since 2005, D.K. Sharma is no stranger to the stress of handling high-profile patients such as politicians and, in some cases, even angry mobs. Sharma has spent a sleepless week providing care for a five-year-old rape survivor who was shifted to AIIMS on 19 April, four days after the assault left her grievously injured. The incident sparked street protests in Delhi, where the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus on 16 December provoked national outrage. In an interview, Sharma spoke about the stresses of running the institute, which he equates to TheMatrix.
Is the child responding well to treatment?
She has responded well to the treatment. She is infection-free right now. The wounds of the girl are healing well, and we are examining her and dressing them regularly. As of now, she does not have fever, indicating that she no longer has infection. We had to do a colostomy, creating a passage for stool, so that the rectum can heal. Once her recovery is complete, she will have to undergo reconstructive surgeries...
How difficult is it to care for patients like this one?
It has not been easy. The first thing I did after I received a call that such a patient is being moved to AIIMS was to call the police. Of course, I did not expect protesters outside the institute. At that time, I was thinking of media and VIP movement. Monday’s protest outside AIIMS was an inconvenience for other patients. On the first day, there was a lot of VIP movement with four or five dignitaries wanting to see the survivor. There have been instances where we have not give permission to “important persons" but not much is under our control in the case of VIPs. Sometimes, we allow it because the families feel better when assured by national leaders. At times like this, we try to provide all the support to the survivor and their family.
You were involved in the treatment of last year’s gang-rape victim as well. Are these among the most disturbing cases to have landed at AIIMS?
Doctors do not get rattled that easily, and in my association with AIIMS, since 1989, we have cared for many patients in terrible condition. But these two cases—this child and December’s gang-rape victim—both are the most disturbing. These are unnatural offences, and as doctors, our first reaction is of disbelief. It is shocking what people are capable of. Having said that, the Uphaar tragedy in 1997 has been one of the most difficult times for me as a doctor. There was too much pain everywhere and it was too palpable on the streets. Even back then, there was anger and outrage on Delhi’s streets, but the protests were not violent. Things were never this bad. (Several dozen people watching a movie suffocated or died in a stampede after fire broke out at Uphaar cinema in 1997.)
In December, moving the victim to Singapore was a controversial decision. Your comments.
The treating doctors decided that she needed better care and she was moved. I am not going to say much about the controversy of it being a medical call or a political call. Sometimes politics gets mixed up in these situations. Actually, politics is unavoidable in delicate situations like this when the law-and-order situation is also affected by the decision. It was unfortunate that we could not save the patient.
The institute itself has withstood many controversies. What has been the most turbulent time for AIIMS?
In 2006, the director of the institute, P. Venugopal, was involved is a turf war with the then health minister, Anbumani Ramadoss. That was a very difficult time for the institute. Every decision was under the microscope and we were drawing flak from all corners for things that were not even our mistakes. There were camps within the institute and a complete lack of trust among our faculty members. A few years before that, in 2003-2004, the institute suffered when every month a section of the staff would go on strike. Things have changed a lot in the past few years. The resident doctors, safai karamcharis (cleaning staff), faculty associations are not that politically active any more.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Well, there are several aspects to running an institution like AIIMS. The most difficult, according to me, is managing faculty members. These are brilliant minds and each one is an authority in their own field. But that makes them even more difficult to manage, administratively speaking.
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