SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad Oct 25: Patients will now have to show their Aadhaar card for registration in the OPD at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad.
Following the infant theft incident in the hospital last week, the SNMMCH management has decided to include Aadhaar card information at the time of registration in the OPD mandatory. If the patient does not have the original or a copy of the card, he or she will be required to produce the Aadhaar number in order to enter the hospital.
Last week, a lady posing as an OPD patient broke into the hospital and kidnapped a newborn from the baby’s grandmother outside the delivery room. According to reports, the woman registered with the incorrect mobile number on the OPD form. However, on the information of the auto driver whose vehicle she used to flee with the newborn, the police retrieved the infant after 31 hours from Rajganj, around 20 kilometres from the hospital.
A senior authority of SNMMCH said that the accused woman had even mentioned her wrong residential address and telephone number in the OPD registration form to hide her identity.
SNMMCH Superintendent, Dr Arun Kumar Barnwal, informed the media that for the safety of patients in the hospital, Aadhaar card or other government’s official identity proofs are being made mandatory for registration in the OPD. “After meeting with all the heads of the departments, the new system would be introduced. This would not only ensure safety of admitted patients but also help in tracing the OPD patients,” said Dr Barnwal.
As per the state government’s notification, the administration of this medical college is vested in the hands of the concerned Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the district. Incident of rape on the campus, molestation of an attendant in hospital washroom and now stealing of an infant outside the labour room have rocked the SNMMCH administration.
