Security guard fills in for health workers

A security guard at a Delhi government-run hospital doubles up as a paramedic — jabbing patients with a syringe to collect blood.

At the Delhi-government-run Satyawati Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in west Delhi’s Narela area, Puneet Gaur, 26, guards the main gate from 10 am to 4 pm every day.  In between, he is summoned to help out with collecting blood.

Gaur expertly ties a rubber band around the arm of the patient, searches for a vein, daubs the spot with a spirit-soaked piece of cotton, and lets the syringe needle in to draw out blood.

He then squirts the collected blood into small labelled glass vials for testing - just like an expert. Enquiries revealed that Gaur does not have the required lab technician’s diploma to perform the job, though he claims to have a BSc degree.

Staff crunch

Queried about using his services in medical work, hospital medical superintendent Chandrakant said, “The hospital is facing a huge staff crunch, and we are left with no alternative but to take his help for blood collection.”

Gaur has been working at the facility for the past three years and began to help out with collecting blood one and a half years ago.

He does not charge for the extra work, according to hospital staff.  However, a hospital staff member on condition of anonymity said, “Gaur is collecting the blood of patients which is the work of a specially qualified degree or diploma holder.”