Editor,
Apropos your article ‘Between medical ethics and the public’s right to know’, (ST July 24, 2020) it’s sad to see the chaos with regard to management of Covid-19. Is there really a need to debate on revealing of the names of patients? Between publishing of such a list, the patient would have infected several more. What needs to be focused upon is social distancing, hand sanitization and reducing non-essential activity. Instead all essential activities are being shut down.
While Covid-19 has taken some lives, we shouldn’t forget the fact that people are still dying from heart attacks, liver failure, kidney failure, cancers, etc and mothers are still delivering babies. If we allow our hospitals to be shut down, then what about these patients? It’s sad that the biggest hospital in the state is shut down for several days now, with very little signs of it being opened immediately. With the civil hospital also closed, it’s a matter of time before all medical facilities in Shillong are shut. Where would the poor seek treatment?
While you and the government have rightly appealed to hospitals saying patients from Covid-19 areas should not be stigmatized, have there been enough appeals to the public not to stigmatize healthcare workers staying in their localities? Without these workers how will the hospitals function? Is it possible for all healthcare workers to stay indefinitely in the hospital?
Corona virus is likely to stay with us for some time and shutting down everything is akin to draining the pond to kill the crocodile. The need of the hour is for the public to be educated to learn to live with this virus. Else, all the fish in the pond would die. I request you to appeal to the public to not stigmatize anyone, because, anyone is likely to contract this disease and if hospitals are shut, where would they go to?
Yours etc.,
A concerned doctor
Name withheld on request
Stigmatisation at its worst
Editor,
On July 22, 2020, I went to Supercare Hospital, Shillong to see a doctor for my daughter’s illness as outpatient service. To my dismay I had to stand outside the hospital along with my 9 year old daughter as I was forbidden to enter the hospital. I felt very discriminated by the rules/protocols followed by Supercare Hospital, Shillong. When I told them that I am working in NEIGRIHMS (while being questioned at the screening area), I was denied entry inside the hospital and was told to wait outside along with my daughter. The hospital staff said that they are only following the Hospital’s rules and guidelines for not allowing me to enter.
After persistently requesting to meet the doctor, I was being sent to wait near the emergency area of the hospital. To my surprise, even when the Doctor came there, my daughter and I were not allowed to enter inside the emergency area and medicine was being prescribed without even examining the patient.
I am not blaming the particular Doctor and staff here. I think they are following “hospital rules or protocols.” I am also not trying to defame the Doctor, staff or the hospital here but I am aggrieved by the rules laid down by the hospital. What if my daughter had some serious problems that would require her being admitted? Will that be denied?
My daughter was operated at Supercare hospital two years ago and I am really thankful to God and the Doctor too that she is in good health now. I wanted to visit the same doctor today since she had some problems, otherwise who would want to take their kids outside the house unnecessarily with this ongoing pandemic.
I would like to request the Government through The Shillong Times to check with the rules or protocols of all the hospitals since I don’t want a similar incident to be repeated with anyone else. My question here is if hospitals (run by literate people) are stigmatising and treating us this way, why are we surprised when common people stigmatise anyone that tests Covid positive.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request,
Via email
Business with hospital equipment?
Editor,
I have been reading your newspaper for several decades now and I find that your paper raises several issues of public interest. Since I am an elderly person who visits NEIGRIHMS regularly for my health problems, I am particularly interested in news relating to that health care centre. In the past couple of weeks I saw a news item relating to purchase of air purifiers or decontaminators by NEIGRIHMS which I later learnt were to be installed on an urgent basis in the two ICUs – one for Covid patients and the other for critical care of others suffering from other ailments. Since the Coronavirus is spread through respiratory droplets that remain suspended in the air and land on any surface to contaminate it when a person touches that surface, a decontaminator is vital, keeping in mind the health of nursing staff and doctors who attend on Covid patients.
What I find difficult to understand is why the youth wing of a certain political party should be involved in this acquisition process? Needless to say the process has to be transparent and for that NEIGRIHMS has a Governing Body and Administrative body that should follow a bidding policy for medical equipment. There are several private hospitals in Meghalaya. They are all acquiring very expensive life-saving equipment. Do the suppliers in their case also have to acquire trading license from the District Councils for supply of those equipment? Hospitals will look at many factors while acquiring equipments but mainly they should consider partnering with a vendor-neutral third party that can help them examine the total cost of ownership of equipment. Inviting an independent consultant to be part of their capital equipment project ensures that no single party is allowed to supply an equipment without a proper review of the purchase and that everyone’s interests and needs are taken into account for the final decision. The role of NEIGRIHMS as the client is also to assist the supplier with the local laws and regimens because it is a Government-owned institution.
Suspicions arise as to why a political party should interfere in such acquisitions on the plea that the firm supplying the equipment to NEIGRIHMS has not got the mandatory trading license from the KHADC. The other point to note is: how long does it take to get a trading license from KHADC. Many applicants find their applications not being attended to after a wait of several months, sometimes years, even after fulfilling all criteria? Why? Can a hospital wait to get a trade license before getting a life-saving equipment?
Meghalaya has been a happy hunting ground for opportunists of all kinds and most people cave in under pressure because there is a local clique at work which earns from facilitating contracts for business-persons, at a price of course. It is nobody’s case that political parties spend their waking hours trying to find contract and supply work for their office bearers. Look at MeECL and other offices and institutions and check out who the suppliers are. We should get the answers as to why every purchase, especially by vulnerable institutions like NEIGRIHMS are subject to scrutiny from certain NGOs and political party acolytes. This itself tells its own story about the contract-supply-politician nexus in Meghalaya.
Yours etc.,
B L Kharmuti,
Shillong- 3