Over 500 AIIMS nurses sit in protest after collegue's death during delivery

Over 500 male and female nurses of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nurses Union sat in protest over the mysterious death of Rajbir Kaur, who was a nurse in the hospital.

The nurses said that Kaur, who passed away on Saturday, died due to negligence on part of the doctors who were treating her.

The protesting nurses also alleged that Rajbir had been treated by inexperienced resident doctors.

Rajbir, who worked in the pulmonary department, was pregnant and had been admitted for the delivery of her child at the hospital on January 16.

However, a few days later, due to complications which reportedly developed during the delivery process, neither the child nor the mother

survived.

Sukhlal Jat, a member of the nursing union, said: "Ever since her [Rajbir's] baby died, the nursing union had been protesting against the

administration for not taking note of the issue and punishing the errant doctors."

With the protests intensifying, the AIIMS authorities formed an investigating committee to inquire the matter.

The doctors involved in Rajbir's treatment have also been asked not to report for medical duties till the investigation in the matter are over.

Dr Balram Airan, who serves as the acting medical director at AIIMS, stated that it is unfair to target the doctors till the details of the report on

Rajbir's death are revealed.

"We have formed an eight-member committee to investigate into the unfortunate death of Rajbir Kaur and her unborn child. The committee will be headed by AIIMS medical superintendent Dr DK Sharma. The members have been asked to submit the report within a week.

We have also sought assistance from medical experts from Safdarjung Hospital to expedite the process. We have also asked the doctors

involved in Rajbir's treatment not to report for their medical duties till the time the investigation gets over," Dr Airan said.

"We are saddened by the death of Rajbir and we want to assure that the doctors who have not performed their medical duties well will be

punished. However, till the time the AIIMS administration is not fully aware of the issues, any action will also be unfair to the doctors," Dr Airan

added.

Meanwhile, the protesting nurses have warned that inaction by the AIIMS administration on the incident will lead to more nurses joining the stir.

The total strength of nurses in AIIMS is estimated to be over 5,000. The protesting nurses threatened that they will get in touch with the remaining nurses and ask them to join the protests if the hospital administration does not take appropriate action against the erring doctors.

Health services are likely to be affected in the hospital in the coming days, with the nurses threatening to go on a strike if no action is taken.