‘VIP culture’ in hospitals can compromise patient safety, equitable care: AIIMS doctors

NEW DELHI: ‘VIP culture’ in hospitals can compromise patient safety and equitable access to care, with pressure to accommodate influential patients sometimes leading to medical decisions that depart from standard protocols, AIIMS Delhi doctors have warned.In an opinion paper published in Oncology Reviews, surgical oncologists Prof. M D Ray and his MCh student Dr Hema Siri Kottu describe how pressure from influential patients, their families and hospital management can lead to unnecessary investigations, surgery before adequate preparation and prolonged intensive care stays.“Every cancer patient deserves the same standard of evidence-based care. VIP syndrome arises when a patient’s influence or connections alter clinical decisions,” Prof. Ray, professor of Surgical Oncology, told TOI.The authors describe two cases. In the first, a 60-year-old woman with early-stage breast cancer underwent a PET-CT scan after her relatives insisted on it.