Tura, April 30: The Meghalaya Government Nursing Services Association (MGNSA) and the Meghalaya Medical Services Association (MMSA) have condemned a video that has gone viral of an incident that reportedly took place on April 20 at the Shibbari PHC wherein some local residents got into a heated argument with staff nurses of the PHC.
The video, which was apparently taken by one of those who got into the argument, later surfaced online with various social media channels reporting the same leading to the nurses coming in for some serious flak from various quarters. However, the nursing association informed that the viral video was not only one-sided but showed them in very bad light due to memes and songs to ridicule the nurses being made.
In a press note by the MGNSA and MMSA, the ‘half information’ spread by the social media channels was condemned.
“They should have consulted with us on the matter as the clip being shown is only one part of the story. They did not verify facts and just posted the video. This has defamed and caused mental harassment towards the nursing professionals. We would like to clarify that many people had commented and made snide remarks against us with malicious intent of maligning our relations with the public. We will not tolerate such remarks towards our profession and stand as one,” said MGNSA president, JCK Sangma.
According to the staff of the PHC, the incident went like this.
On April 20 late evening, two persons, including one child, had come to the emergency section of the PHC for care and were given medical aid. However as there was no equipment to do blood checks in the emergency section in any PHC, they were checked and asked if they wanted to stay back at the PHC to be monitored. They refused and were given the prescribed medicines and sent home.
However, sometime later, a group of locals came to the PHC and began to question the act of the staff of the PHC towards the two patients alleging they were only given ORS and left to fend for themselves.
“We showed them the prescription and the medicines issued and also informed them that we had asked them to stay back but they preferred to go home. Despite this they were angry at us and continued to accuse us of neglecting the patients. Later in frustration, the staff between themselves had mentioned something about education following which the argument went viral,” informed one of the nurses on condition of anonymity.
The next day, a police complaint was filed by the PHC staff following which the same people who had argued with them the next day came to apologize and seek a compromise. However one of them had made the video viral through a status post on social media.
“We are getting such a lot of unnecessary criticism despite doing our duties to the best of our abilities. We will stand up to such bullying and wish for all these videos that have been spread on social media to be taken down with immediate effect,” stated the source.
Another police complaint on the issue is expected to be filed by the medical department on Monday.
