The Times of India:Shimona Kanwar:Sunday,18 September 2011.
CHANDIGARH: If you visit the advanced eye centre at PGI there are chances that basic eye tests, which any ophthalmologist (eye specialist) depends on for diagnosis and treatment, may be wrong. Data obtained under the Right To Information (RTI) Act by The Times of India revealed that technicians who do not have required qualification are working at the centre.
Though the documents provided by the PGI state that tests are performed by qualified persons as per the national and international standards, but this is not so. The process followed at PGI does not match the standards of reputed hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.
The RTI inputs name some technicians who are not qualified for the post. Swaranunderjit Singh, who performs the visual field test (for detecting any defect in the optic nerve or eye), has a MA degree, while the academic qualification of Reena Kumari and Nirmala Kumari who conduct the optical coherence tomography (OCT) - a test for early diagnosis and detection for progression of glaucoma - is BSc in medical technology. However, RTI details procured from AIIMS to compare the national standards for 'qualified' technologists tell a different story.
For OCT, the mandatory qualifications at Dr Rajendra Prasad centre for ophthalmic science at the AIIMS is BSc (Hons) ophthalmic technology. For a technician in the visual field or any other branch of ophthalmic sciences, MA is not the required qualification criteria.
Though the documents provided by the PGI state that tests are performed by qualified persons as per the national and international standards, but this is not so. The process followed at PGI does not match the standards of reputed hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.
The RTI inputs name some technicians who are not qualified for the post. Swaranunderjit Singh, who performs the visual field test (for detecting any defect in the optic nerve or eye), has a MA degree, while the academic qualification of Reena Kumari and Nirmala Kumari who conduct the optical coherence tomography (OCT) - a test for early diagnosis and detection for progression of glaucoma - is BSc in medical technology. However, RTI details procured from AIIMS to compare the national standards for 'qualified' technologists tell a different story.
For OCT, the mandatory qualifications at Dr Rajendra Prasad centre for ophthalmic science at the AIIMS is BSc (Hons) ophthalmic technology. For a technician in the visual field or any other branch of ophthalmic sciences, MA is not the required qualification criteria.
.JPG)
.JPG)
