The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is in the middle of yet another controversy regarding the quality of meals served at the institute after the family of a four-year-old patient allegedly found a cockroach in the food served to the child. The alleged incident occurred on Sunday after the child, who suffers from Hirschsprung’s disease – a condition that affects the large intestine and causes problems with bowel movements – was given food after undergoing surgery.
“After the surgery, the doctors told us to give him only semi-solid food. So I asked the staff to give me a bowl of dal. When I gave it the first bite, I found parts of a dead cockroach in it. I made my son spit out the bite immediately,” said the child’s mother, a resident of Noida, who wished to remain anonymous. “I am grateful to the doctors here because they have been there for us for the last two years, but food safety is a big issue. I panicked and alerted the hospital management and they assured me that they would take the strictest action in the case,” said the mother.
Reacting to the allegations, the AIIMS administration said, “The hospital authorities have taken serious note of the incident and are investigating the matter.” This is not the first time there has been a complaint about the substandard quality of food served at AIIMS. Between August and September, there were two separate incidents where poor quality food was served in the canteens of local doctors at the institute. After complaints circulated on social media, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) teams conducted inspections and several samples failed the safety test. After the FSSAI tests, the AIIMS administration ordered the closure of the canteen and canteen of resident doctors.
