This is the article I planned to write much before I ever
thought of the blog site. I wonder, I would have never able to share the experience
I had to the public if I would not have this platform. This is way back 1999
-2000 when I faced the tough side of the life when I had to spent a month or so
all day all night in a reputeted nursing home for total negligence in treatment
of my father.
Even if I don't get into the specific details
that happened with me which I later found quite a common phenomenon in these so
called private nursing home and hospitals, which from outside looks almost like
a 5 star hotel compare to the public hospital run by public health
authorities under the state government supervision. These private hospitals are
drawing patients like a business house where treatment is not the main motto ,
but to incur profit by hook and crook. Though, before I continue further, I
strongly want to mention one thing repeatedly is that exception doesn't make rules.
So apart from some really good doctors and hospital
authorities in charge, most practice the whole matter in a professional manner
which is in the line of a corporates. Where profit making and drawing more and
more patients is the first and the last thing. This entire matter is a nexus
between doctors, support staffs and the hospital management along with some
corrupted government health officials. Its not that the entire system has broke
down but this is the time to address such incident to aware general people or
else it will go out of control where we will all be trapped under this colossal,
porous health system. Privatisation of the health system has given a choice to
the general public in one side but due to poor public health system some or
many private health service provider taken advantage of the total situation.
Now coming to the
horrific experience I had, was my father got admitted in a reputeted heart
research institute in Kolkata in 24th December, 1999. Before that they
conducted angiography to detect any blockage in the heart. Somehow they come to
the conclusion that it requires immediate surgery which created doubt in our
mind when they not handed over the video of that angiography to us. We thought,
we will consult and take second opinion before going for surgery, but they refused
to hand over the video cassette which they suppose to give the patient by
charging the cost of the cassette and video filming.
Somehow in that situation they successfully made us go for
the surgery. By giving excuse of the christmas day celebration the doctor
postponed the actual date of the surgery which aggravated the heart condition,
which lead to inject heparin injection which decreases the glotting rate. They
did all the right thing to put the patient into trouble by going for the
operation just after decreasing the normal glotting rate of the blood which
caused serious bleeding after the operation. Moreover they lied the previous
day that the doctor will be in leave. Where as later we found that the surgeon
was present one the scheduled date and performed another operation where they
had got immediate payment for an emergency case in exchange of extra charge.
Due to the CGSH(Central Government Health Scheme) sponsored patient they will
get paid in a subsidised rate on a later date, always make them less interested
to treat such patients. Top of this they also proved with no clear information
with lack of transparency with the patient party, that the total mishap occurred
due to the problem in the blood of the patient and no failure in the process of treatment.
Finally, they declared dead due to renal failure which is not their responsibility.
Now, my understanding to the whole situation is, this type
of negligence continue to happen unless patient party and the patient
becomes aware of such incident both in public and private hospitals. Awareness
required in all level regarding what a doctor or the hospital management
suppose to do with the patient and the patient parties to communicate better
and maintaining transparency. The main issue here is, lack of
transparency which I believe is the root cause along with the lack of resources
in place and above all lack of fund and money in the government health sector.
Apart from that logistics problem, lack of education on health people are not
aware what are their rights and facility they suppose to get when they visit a
hospital. Even in today's date majority of people see doctors as their live
savers god. But do these so called Gods are not Gods anymore. I have no doubts
calling them physicians who are good businessman as well.
Touchy article and both my parents are victim of this brutal act When young, we were taught Doctors are God...they provide service to the nation whole heartedly...but as we grew older we find just the opposite...Nowadays a mbbs degree can easily earned at the cost of money...thus doctors are turning into business ...and those who somehow manage to get admission in medical colleges after clearing the entrance exams and afterwards become doctors get so low paid in govt hospitals that in the run for earning money they start practising privately and turn into businessman...and this gives birth to such inhuman acts as mentioned by writer..Nowadays doctors are so low confident about their studies that even u go with a stomach ache to him,he immediately suggests an ultrasonography without even checking the condition of the patient...now start the real game...this doctor suggets a particular pathology center from where he gets certain commission,after going through the USG report he prescribes certain selected medicines of his known drug manufacturer(as pressurised by representatives of those phermaceuitical companies,since recieved a lot of gifts in turn to prescribe those medicines)...ask patient for 3-4 more rounds of visit(just to fill his pocket)...and cycle continues...In govt hospitals latest equipments are available with noone to operate and private hospitals or nursing homes are beyond the reach of common people...Health care has taken a bad shape in India especially West Bengal..govt knows everything but has turned their face... we are surviving at our own risk...So frnds Eat healthy Stay Fit
Kolkata is becoming more and more cosmopolitan day by day proved by the skies crappers, shopping malls and multispeciality clinics and these all drenching out our hard eraned money and puffing our breathes out like a last fag.
Come on citizens now the time has come tp protest on the sake of humanity
So that profession may be connected with medical health aid or so called hospitality industry...money matters to all section of the society from doctors, nurse to the self proclaimed statesman of this country.
One ofcourse should take care of himself so that he can stay fit and not to go to a doctor. But it is practically impossible. Ya, he can reduce the number of visit. But ethically and professionally, a doctor should take care of his patients. But today, the fact written in Sandy's article is very much true. Not only in case of Sandy's father and parents of Parna, similar thing happens in case of my aunt. Just careless application of blood after a minor operation, stopped the life of a fit woman.
A doctor may say, he have to handle lots of cases, he have to take care of so much people that he might make one or two mistakes. But hay, it is just not a silly mistake and as it is game of life, and a doctor is given the power to give life or death to a human, so he hardly will have any chance to rectify his error. So, professionally and morally, he never ever given the chance or the relaxation to make mistakes. He should be aware of what he is doing.
Well what ever I wrote in the last para, taken in mind that, a doctor is a doctor, not a businessman. But in fact, a genuine doctor, not a businessman, never makes such mistakes or never need to give such excuses (as written in 2nd para of my post).
Unless the job role and description demands responsibility, the person cant be held responsible... is this profession really demands responsibility anymore??? if so then wot is the mechanism on the basis of which doctors get their degree in this country???
Well, doctors are becoming business - this is a cruel fact and hard to digest for people like us. I remember, when one of my friend died in ICU in one of the best known Hospital in Kolkata. also heard that if you take a dead man in Apollo Hospital, they still will charge about 1 lac rupees. strange but true I feel for you Sandy! Good article!
I was in class 6 (Vadodara, Gujarat)and was staying in township at that time. One of my classmate's father met an accident inside our township to save a playing child which came suddenly into his path. He was taken to the hospital and was kept for 14 days in ICU. The doctor's said that he was into coma whereas, later it was found that he died the very same day he was taken to the hospital. The family later disclaimed that they were not allowed to meet him and thus brought suspicion in their mind.
I felt for his wife and his kids who could not get over this episode for many many years and I am sure, this is still happening everywhere.I believe, India should have policies like USA has just like we buy insurance to cover for our medical needs, doctor too buy policies to save their b*** when a person dies due to their negligence or naturally.
Still my aunt's(mama's wife) nephew died due to pneumonia and this was due to the doctor's mistreatment. Again, sometime we are given pneumonia medication when we have flu!
All these lead to one thing...there is very less or no accountability from the medical practitioners part. And the body which governs or monitors performances of the doctors in our country which is again a state wise body in terms monitoring formed by medical community itself where most of the time the the decision goes in favor of the medical practitioners. This has to change by balancing the whole process where its important that the body is a neutral one and understands the details of the case which may not be possible for non-technical persons in that subject.
Similar act of negligance took away life of Kuntal Chowdhury..(application of chemotherapy injection at wrong place)...the news was flashed in television,paper..for first few days it created a stormy environment but alas gradually it faded away...ppl starting from ministers to actors and common ppl showed words of sympathy but didnt took active part to punish the real culprit(doctor)..Actually until and unless the storm doesnt affect us or things doesnt go wrong with our near and dear ones we are mere spectators...But i do believe if we unitedly revolt against these ongoing bruteless acts we ll surely gain success someday..the real culprits ll soon be behind the bars...becoz United we stand,divided we fall
Constant awareness can create an impact on the society which in result can affect the doctor community as well as they also part of the bigger human community.
These kind of episode keeps going on and only few are of knowledge as we
are related to that person or may be we read in newspapers. In India,
life of the people has no value and only paper money or power has more
value. We were never united....so we fall everytime. Think of the people
living out of country(NRIs) when Indians in abroad seek help, no help is
found only words of sympathy and some some crocodile tears are gifted.
But not all are same! I know, I have not done any survey on these
either. Once I saw an old man standing near a shopping complex
(California, US) and asking for money from everyone passing by him. He
later came to me as I was unloading grocery bags. What was my reaction?
first I though, Kya drama hai bapu..India chale jao! Later I thought to
myself..may be his children might have drove him away from home and he
was looking for some food! I felt bad and asked God forgive me. I later
went to that area several times..but never found that person there. I
still cannot imagine this was what I did to that needy old person!
Which one is worth. I think some might feel immediate is wot the victim or the sufferer needs. And they might also argue that a little difference can make a lot.Though I believe giving alms is not the solution. Though this is debatable. :-)
