JNU ABVP demands ICU in campus health centre

NEW DELHI: RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has written to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor demanding an upgrade in the campus health centre, complete with a five-bed ICU. Their demand comes in the wake of the death of a PhD student on March 21, who had earlier complained of chest pain.

The student, a resident of the Tapti hostel, was enrolled at the Centre for Russian Studies. The students' body had claimed that he was not given timely treatment by the health centre and there was also a delay in referring him to AIIMS. The JNU unit of ABVP submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor on Wednesday seeking the resumption of services of specialist doctors, especially gynaecologists and ophthalmologists. They demanded that the university must set up a five-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the health centre to be used in event of an emergency since the nearest hospital is quite far from the campus.

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"A psychiatrist must be available in the health centre for counselling of students,” read the memo. “The health centre must provide free health checkup facilities for students so that students can monitor their health (especially blood pressure and cholesterol levels)... A nurse or attendant must be available round the clock to provide critical care. “Students must be taught elementary Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course and basic first-aid course. The university must provide medical insurance to all students," it said. The student body also asked the university to undertake sanitisation (fogging and spraying) activities citing a rise in cases of dengue.