SHILLONG: A public meeting was held recently near Bajengdoba Hospital (PHC) in East Garo Hills condemning the behaviour of a staff nurse who humiliated and harassed an elderly man.
In a statement issued on Sunday, pressure groups from Garo Hills said on the morning of December 2, 55-year-old Kenar Marak had gone to Bajengdoba Hospital to administer an injection prescribed to him by a registered senior doctor who is practising in Tura Civil Hospital.
However, the nurse refused to help Marak despite repeated pleas. Marak even produced the prescription of the doctor to convince her but she outrightly rejected his request saying she “cannot entertain his request as it is not under the purview of their hospital to carry out someone else’s prescription”, the statement said.
Marak had lodged a complaint with the District Medical and Health Officer, North Garo Hills, on the same day of the incident. He did it to escalate the issue, which is a matter of great public concern.
The pressure group also informed that the nurse had attempted to malign the complainant by posting derogatory remarks on Facebook. “She hurled a carrot at the elderly man and even went on to state that slippers would have been better in place of carrot. Now, she had deleted that message for reasons best known to her.”
The statement further informed that in a bid to save herself from departmental action, the nurse filed an FIR against Marak after five days, adding, “This is just a diversion gimmick as she is scared of official reprimand and is making an effort to escape the action. Little did she know that this reactive action of hers is out of bounds and is a colossal idiocy on her part. Why didn’t she file an FIR on the day of the incident? Why after five days if it is a case of molestation and intimidation as per her statement?”
Considering all these complaints a public meeting was held to condemn such actions. However, sensing the trouble the EAC had called the NGOs with an assurance that action will be taken against the staff within two or three months. And hence only the public meeting was held and the protest march was called off considering the festive season, the statement added.
“However, an attempt was made to disrupt the meeting motivated by the nurse’s husband, who is an ex-militant along with few others, but he was made to face the taste of his own medicine,” the pressure group said. The hospital authority is also making unnecessary delay in processing the birth certificate applications. “It is taking more than five/six months or even a year to issue the certificates. What is more pathetic is the deliberate carelessness of the staff in missing of affidavit and Court order along with the applications post submissions,” the statement from NGOs said.
Meanwhile, several cases related to dental hygiene, which require immediate medical attention, also been reported. The Dentist who is posted in Bajengdoba PHC is irregular in attending the office. The pressure groups warned agitation if action not taken against the erring staff.
