Stray dog menace grips AIIMS; Doctors, patients say authorities passing the buck
Stray dog menace grips AIIMS; Doctors, patients say authorities passing the buck
Once bitten, twice shy - that's the condition of several patients and doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) these days. The country's premier medical institute is fast turning into a haven for stray dogs. A large number of these canines can be seen roaming around the premises at any point. And victims claim their bite is worse than their bark.
Tail of woes: AIIMS authorities blame NDMC for failing to curb the
u00a0problem of stray dogs (encircled). Pics/Rajeev Tyagi
The problem seems to have reached its peak as the dogs have bitten 22 patients, a doctor's wife and two students at the institute within a month. The data has been provided by the AIIMS Casualty section. Patients who visit the hospital's Outpatient Department (OPD) on a regular basis are particularly worried.
Mutt menace: Patients, doctors and students are equally troubled by
stray dogs at AIIMS. PICs/Rajeev Tyagi
Unprotected
"I have been coming to the hospital every week for treatment. Last week, I saw a dog biting one of the fellow patients. We all got so scared, as there was nobody to protect us," said Ravi Kumar, one of the patients in AIIMS.
"Dogs are always roaming inside the OPD. We have to be so careful while coming to the hospital. The authorities should definitely take some action regarding it. One can find dogs everywhere in the institute, whether it's a chemist shop or OPD or Casualty," said Reena Singh, another patient at AIIMS.
Even doctors are annoyed with the dog menace. According to sources, recently a doctor's wife, who herself is working with the nearby Safdarjung hospital, was bitten by a dog in AIIMS. The doctor, who is apparently in the Radio- Neurology Department at AIIMS then approached the administration regarding the issue.
"Last week, two students were bitten by dogs while they were going to their respective hostels. Thankfully, both of them did not suffer much. But even in the morning, when most of the doctors go for morning walks, there are a large numbers of dogs roaming around. We don't feel safe in the campus any more," said a student on the condition of anonymity.
Blame game
According to the doctors, the administration blames New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) for the menace to some extent. They say, the civic agency sterilises the dogs and throws them back in to the institute. Some feel that the institute cannot just get away, by blaming it to the civic agency.
"There is dog menace in the hospital as well as the hostel campus. Upon complaining to the administration, they say that there is lack of initiative on the part of NDMC. But students are still suffering," said Dr George, president, students' union, AIIMS.
"This is a big problem in the institute. The administration should definitely do something about it. The environment should be friendly to both doctors and patients," said Dr Manoj Singh, president, Faculty Members' Association, AIIMS.
"We have tried meeting everyone concerned, from the director to hostel superintendent. We have even spoken to Maneka Gandhi to work out an animal friendly way to get rid of the dogs, but there are many practical hurdles. So nothing has materialised on this front," said Dr Debjyoti Karmakar, president, Resident Doctors' Association (RDA), AIIMS.
Stay safe
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi in coordination with associated Non-Government Organisations, Animal Husbandry Department GNCTD and Delhi Veterinary Association is organising Anti-Rabies Vaccination Camps at different places in Delhi to immunise a large number of stray dogs on the occasion of World Zoonosis Day, which is observed on 6th of July every year. The department of Veterinary Services MCD is running Anti-Rabies and Animal Birth Control Programme to control rabies and the stray dog population in Delhi through the Society for Stray Canine Birth Control, with the help NGOs in pursuant to Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules-2001 issued by Govt. of India under PCA Act 1960. The stray dogs are captured by MCD and associated NGOs for sterilisation and immunisation against rabies. After sterilisation and immunisation, the stray dogs are released back to the same place from where they had been picked.
The Other Side
''We have been approaching the NDMC regarding the issue and we will definitely again push them for action," said Dr YK Gupta, official spokesperson, AIIMS. In this particular case, I will have to check the facts. But generally whenever we get a complaint on dog menace, we send our squad which sterilises the dogs and leaves them there. We cannot give a permanent solution for the problem as we cannot take the dogs away with us. We do not have permission for the same," said Anand Tiwari, official spokesperson, NDMC.
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