Visuals showing a class IV employee of the Bulandshahr district hospital carrying out stitches on the wounds of an injured child and another one giving an injection to a patient have been aired by TV channels.
But the hospital authorities maintained such staff were "trained" to carry out the procedures.
The UP government has ordered an inquiry, saying laxity will not be tolerated and stern action will be taken against the errant staff.
The hospital's Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) Shishir Kumar claimed, "The clip that is being shown on TV, the ward boy in it has even worked in the OT (operation theatre) for ten years. Apart from that, his duty is there in the dressing room as well. He's perfectly trained for dressing purposes."
Maintaining that what was shown was not a surgery but dressing of wound, he said, "The one who is being called cleaning boy is only cutting the thread in the course of stitching. The ward boy doing the stitching is trained. I am standing there, if you see the clip. It is happening in my supervision."
None of the hospital doctors was seen in the visuals when the ward boys were attending to the patients.
V K Sharma, Additional Health Director, Meerut Zone, who paid a visit to the hospital in the wake of the telecast, said, "They (ward boys) were not operating. The man was working as an assistant...He was the OT assistant." (More)