The National Human Rights Commission on Monday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre, taking note of a video that went viral, in which a road accident victim is seen using his severed leg as a pillow at a Jhansi government hospital.
The commission asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar to submit a detailed report on the matter within four weeks. It also asked the secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to file a report on whether government doctors and hospitals have been issued guidelines about compliance with norms regarding disposal of biomedical waste.
The commission said that the incident, if true, was an “unethical and negligent act” on the part of the medical staff, and not only violated medical norms but also the dignity of a patient who was already undergoing trauma. The NHRC said the amputated limb carried the risk of infection not only for the patient, but the entire hospital ward.
Two doctors and two nurses at the emergency ward of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Jhansi Medical College hospital were suspended on Saturday after the video emerged on social media. The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a four-member committee to look into the case.
The patient, identified as 28-year-old Ghanshyam, is a cleaner of a school bus. He was brought to the hospital after the bus met with an accident on the way to school. At least a dozen children were also injured in the accident.
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