An ultrasound machine was stolen from the AIIMS Trauma Centre last month,the latest machine to be stolen from the premier institute. In the last one year,complaints have been filed regarding theft of a ventilator and an ultrasound machine from the centre. The machine was reported missing on April 16 and police inspected the Trauma Centre operation theatre,where the machine was placed,last week. The estimated cost of the machine,as mentioned in the complaint,is Rs 18 lakh. Police suspect the role of an insider in the thefts and have requested CCTV footage from the centre. We have registered complaints for every theft. For the ultrasound machine,police have done their inquiries and have asked for the CCTV footage. We will be sending it to them soon, said Dr M C Misra,chief of the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Last year,a ventilator went missing from the emergency ICU,followed by its charger a week later. This was followed by the theft of an ultrasound machine from the same ICU. In 2009,the window of the medical supplies store was smashed and drugs and surgical equipment stolen. While internal inquiry committees were set up following each of the incidents,no culprit has been identified so far. Sources said the total worth of the stolen goods could go up to over Rs 50 lakh. We have started rigorous inquiries. From the pattern of the thefts and the nature of the stolen goods,it is likely that some insider is involved, said a police officer. The premises is under CCTV surveillance and operation theatres have biometric attendance systems installed. Police said though small thefts are common at government hospitals,missing diagnostic machines and life support systems indicate serious security lapses. These are not small machines that can be whisked out of the hospital. We will look into all the complaints, said the officer. He added that investigations had revealed that a part of the ultrasound machine stolen last year was found smashed and hidden in a garbage pile at the centre,a few weeks later. The culprit was never identified. The machine was damaged beyond repair, he said. We have also found hospital bedsheets and OT curtains hidden in garbage, a security officer from the Trauma Centre told Newsline.
