AIIMS orders inquiry over delay in child’s examination

The All-India institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has started a departmental inquiry and issued a show-cause notice to a senior resident on duty for alleged negligence in providing timely medical treatment to a seven-year-old rape victim in December. The institute in a report to the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said that a departmental inquiry has been initiated.

Taking a strong note of the alleged negligence, the DCW had served a notice to the AIIMS and sought an “action taken report”. “Preliminary investigation have revealed that the senior resident on duty, who was to examine the child, was in operation theatre conducting an emergency surgery resulting delay in the examination. This, of course, cannot be accepted as a valid reason for the delay,” said the AIIMS in its response to the DCW, adding that the HoD has issued a show-cause notice to the resident.

“As part of a system approach to the problem, we are instituting a mechanism whereby upon receiving a suspected case of sexual assault, the CMO shall intimate the senior resident on call as well as the duty officer so that any delays can be avoided,” it said.

The minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted while she was playing outside her home by a teenager from the same neighbourhood in South Delhi’s Tigri area, following which the police had registered a case and apprehended the accused.