Mumbai: Five days after a drunken vada-pav seller was caught drawing blood from a patient at the Lokmanya Tilak Memorial General Hospital, Sion, the security guard who was on duty at that time has been found guilty and suspended. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has instructed the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC) to take necessary action against the person.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner (AMC), BMC health department, said they had set up an inquiry committee immediately after the incident and the report submitted on Wednesday blamed the security guard for allowing the drunken men into the hospital premises. “The guard has been suspended and the organisation responsible for providing security personnel at civic-run hospitals has been instructed to take required action against him,” he said.
On December 28, 2019, the accused Abdul Gafar Kadar Sheikh, who runs a vada-pav business near the hospital, entered the men's ward and drew blood from a patient. He then demanded Rs 800 from a patient's relative for having conducted a blood test. When the patient's family asked him who he was, he claimed to be a pathologist. But the family got suspicious, as he was reeking of alcohol, and informed the hospital guard. Later, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered with Sion Hospital, under IPC section 170 (impersonating a public servant).
Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of the hospital, said he couldn't comment on the issue, as it was a lapse on the part of the security department, a private entity and does not come under his purview. “It was the responsibility of the security guard to check those seeking entry to the hospital. We have asked them to be alert. If such an incident reoccurs, strict action will be taken,” he said.
