Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 16 Acting on complaints of private practice by Principal Government Medical College Jammu, Dr Aniece Choudhary, a team of Health Department today raided Choudhary ENT Child Care Clinic at Wazarat Road and sealed the premises.
The raid comes in wake of death of an infant due to alleged negligence of Dr Choudhary at SMGS Hospital last Thursday. Parents of the deceased alleged that Dr Choudhary had examined the patient in his private clinic after charging Rs 250 from them. The Government has already ordered a magisterial probe into the circumstances leading to death of the infant and assured to take action on the basis of report.
Even as the clinic, owned by Dr Aniece Choudhary, was found closed at the time of raid, the team of Health officials conducted extensive searches in the premises and detected some surgical equipments lying in a room there.
“The raid was conducted on specific complaint that a Nursing Home and operation theatre were being run illegally in the clinic premises,” said Dr Baldev Sharma , Deputy Director Health (Headquarters), who was heading the raiding team, which comprised Chief Medical Officer Jammu Dr Javed Chib, Deputy Director (Schemes) Dr Baljeet Singh Pathania, Tehsildar Jammu and others besides SHO Peer Mitha Jammu.
However, no operation theatre and Nursing Home were found in the clinic premises, which was found already closed with a notice stuck on the entrance informing that the patients may visit Dr Aniece Choudhary at SMGS hospital for free medical examination.
As reported by the Excelsior, Secretary Health and Medical Education Manoj Kumar Dwivedi on the instructions of Medical Education Minister RS Chib on Friday had sought explanation of Dr Choudhary over the reports of private practice by the latter despite being Incharge Principal of GMC Jammu.
“Nothing substantial was found from the clinic except some surgical equipments inside a room, which was sealed by us in the presence of the Magistrate,” Dr Baldev Sharma told the Excelsior adding that Dr Choudhary was also present when the raiding team inspected the clinic premises.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Medical Education R S Chib informed that he had already conveyed the Principal GMC to stop the private practice. If Health Department has taken an initiative to comply the Government direction, it is a welcome step,” he said adding that both Health and Medical Education Departments were working in unison to provide better health services to commoners in Jammu Kashmir. Mr Chib said it was he who had ordered a magisterial probe into the matter and summoned Dr Choudhary in presence of Mr Dwivedi and directed him to stop private practice if he was doing so.
The Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma also said that the law would take its own course and no guilty will be spared. “The raiding team has sealed the clinic and necessary action will be taken after a report is submitted by the Health Department, he added
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