Early Times Repot
Jammu, Sept 25: Citizens Forum lambasted the owners of some private nursing homes and clinics, who have joined hands to interfere in the course of law, by demanding release of a female owner of nursing home in Jammu, arrested by the police on charge of conducting illegal abortion of a minor mentally retarded girl, made pregnant in the Rotary Club Inner Wheel home for mentally retarded children.
A meeting of the Citizens Forum, held here today under the chairmanship of its President R K Chadha, flayed the owners of private nursing homes and clinics association, who in a media conference yesterday had demanded unconditional release of Dr Raj Sharma of Aastha Nursing Home, who was arrested on charge of aborting the pregnancy of an inmate of Inner Wheel Home, 16 years back. The fact in this regard came to light on interrogation of alleged rapists of minor mentally retarded girls, the Secretary of the Club and its Director.
"The plea taken by the nursing home owners association that since the case is 16 years old, holding probe in the same by arresting the accused is not justify, is ridiculous.
Any crime having been committed in the past, coming to light after lapse of few years cannot be ignored and the culprits of the same cannot be spared on account of time lapse," the Forum members contended.
Chadha also charged that since most of the private nursing homes and clinics are indulging in unethical and illegal practices in J&K, they have ganged up to pre-empt the long hands of law reaching them also. The Forum has also assailed some private nursing homes of exploiting the hapless poor patients, by fleecing them, charging exorbitantly, as these patients are forced to come to them for investigation and treatment because of poor medical services and harassment caused to the patient in government hospitals.
The Forum found fault with the government for not strictly enforcing rules and regulations for the private nursing homes and clinics, 'as a result many nursing homes lack the facilities and set standard for the same.'
Others members of the Forum who were present in the meeting included S S Wazir, Arun Sharma, Vikram Gaur, Dr Nirmal Kamal, S I H Qazmi, R K Handa, J S Chawaun, Vinay Kotwal, M.S Kapoor, K R Gandotra, Ramesh Gupta, K.K Mahajan, Professor Mohammad Ayub and Rahat Hussain. |
