NEW DELHI: In a candid admission about use and sale of drugs in the AIIMS campus, the institute’s director issued orders on Tuesday to make the campus “drug free” and directed security staff to take photographs or videos of any person indulging in sale or use of drugs and hand them over to the police. The director has also asked all staff, including doctors and students, to take help for substance abuse in the hospital under strict confidentiality.
The order issued by Prof M Srinivas, on Tuesday, stated that if any drug peddler is found selling drugs, banned or controlled in India such as Ganja, Cocaine, Heroin, the security personnel are instructed to take video/photograph of the culprit and hand them over to the police immediately and ban them completely from entering the institute’s premises.
"If any contractual employee/security staff is found indulging in this activity in AIIMS premises, security personnel is instructed to hand over such person to AIIMS police post and immediately terminate him from service,” the office memorandum stated, adding that if any permanent employee is found indulging in such activity, disciplinary action will be taken against them after issuing a memo.
According to the office memorandum, all heads of departments are requested to bring this to the knowledge of the staff and students working under them. The security personnel shall also be instructed not to allow the patient, attendants, visitors and staff members to use drugs in any form in the premises of the institute.
The memorandum further stated that employees/doctors/students wanting to seek help for substance use problems can still do so in the Psychiatry OPD at AIIMS and will be provided treatment while maintaining confidentiality. “Treatment will not be linked to administrative action or punitive measures. To seek more information on preventive interventions, they could also contact the Students’ Wellness centre,” the memorandum added.
Incidentally, drug use at the campus premises is quite rampant during the famous annual socio-cultural event (Pulse) of AIIMS by students attending from various colleges across the country. In 2013, a medical student who had come was found lying at the AIIMS auditorium in a semi comatose state. He was put on ventilator support after being brought to the emergency ward from the auditorium.
According to information, several drug peddlers roam around in the premises and this order will ban their entry.
