Row over holding SV Medical College staff responsible for monkeys act

Tirupati: The SV Medical College (SVMC) episode in which monkeys destroyed the biopsy samples of four patients has stirred up the hornet’s nest.

Though the Principal of SVMC has completed the enquiry and sent a report to the District Collector and Director of Medical Education (DME), it was learnt that he had a tough job of fixing the responsibility with so many limitations. Though everybody agreed that it was a major mistake due to which the patients have been suffering particularly the young patient Sunil Kumar. 

But, no one was prepared to own the responsibility.  It was learnt lady technician and lady PG doctors, who were present in the laboratory, have frightened on seeing monkeys. Before they could react, monkeys took away the specimen containers. Doctors ran to the ground floor and they could only find empty containers which was reported to the faculty immediately.

As far as Sunil Kumar’s tissue was concerned, it was an important and abnormal tissue and difficult to collect it again, observed a senior doctor. The specimens will be kept in formaldehyde which spreads strong and suffocating odor. As the monkeys after opening the lids of containers could not bear that odour and might have dropped them.

As the lab was located on the 2ndfloor, the specimens might have scattered in the bushes.  It became easy for monkeys to take away samples as they were kept near a broken glass window. The Principal Dr G Ravi Prabhu told The Hans India that the staff of the laboratory normally keep biopsy samples at that window as they need to observe them in day light.

They do grossing (gross examination) there only and proceed to further processes. They have been doing this for years together, but no such incident was happened till now. He said that, he has conducted an in-depth inquiry and submitted the report and the details cannot be revealed. 

However, the AP Medical Employees Union and AP NGOs Association were up in the arms about the poor facilities in the laboratory in which the technicians and attendants were working. One employee of SVMC on condition of anonymity said that even after that monkey episode, a portion of the roof slab fell on that table. 

Since a long time, the department was writing to the College administration for improved facilities at the laboratory which were not attended so far. It was said that, the Collector also visited the laboratory after being explained about the situation there at the College Development Society (CDS) meeting held on October 24, 2017 and assured to address the problems. They were saying that, there was also shortage of staff.

The lab receives about 5,000 biopsy samples and another 5,000 cytology samples per annum besides more than one lakh hematology and clinical pathology samples and there are about 10 posts were vacant for long of both lab attendants and technicians. Even after advanced equipment was available in other hospitals, the staff have been working manually in SVMC.  

Though they were very sorry for what has happened, without addressing these problems, how can responsibility be fixed, they asked. However, the Principal said that the proposals for renovation of the laboratory were already submitted and approved. He maintained that the lab has adequate faculty and staff. Even it will get latest equipment soon.