In the news for all the wrong reasons Wanted : Soul searching
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In the news for all the wrong reasons and one wonders whether the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) has learnt any lesson or not. On August 19 the hospital witnessed an uproar after a woman admitted to the said hospital with a fractured leg passed away after she was wheeled into the operation theatre. The JAC formed against the death of the woman has agreed to call off its course of action, but certainly the incident was not a healthy precedent, for it is hard to believe that getting treated for a fractured leg would end in a woman losing her life. Fast forward to September 2 and yet again the hospital is in the news, this time allegedly for first refusing to ‘treat a patient, citing a holiday’ who was rushed there after suffering a stroke. The hospital is yet to come out with its side of the story but already the said story has gone viral on the social media and this cannot be good for the premier medical institute in the State and not surprisingly many in Manipur are more than willing to believe allegations raised against a place which is there to care for the sick and the dying. This is where health providers should study whether hospitals which are there to care for the sick and the dying are actually living it up to the understanding of ‘caring for the sick and those who are at their terminal stage.’ This is not the first time that allegations have been raised against a health institute and Manipur has seen such cases in the past too, but the question of greater importance is to study why such stories tend to stick in the consciousness of the people. Doctors and health care providers are not Gods and no one expects any miracle from them, but it needs to be studied why there is an air of aloofness amongst some of the men and women in white. A little word of encouragement, a word or two to convey the message that they understand the plight of the patient and their anxious family members can certainly go a long way in applying the healing balm. It should also not be forgotten that family members, relatives and friends of those who are sick and have been admitted to the hospital will be an anxious lot and a brusque and aloof approach to any of their queries will certainly not help. Perhaps this is where one can see the difference in the demeanour of the men and women working at private hospitals and those working at Government hospitals. The humane touch is missing it appears and it is this which has led to the uproars at RIMS, both within a span of two weeks or some days. And family members and friends of the stroke patient who passed away at RIMS on September 2, have all the more reason to be peeved, if the allegations they have raise are anything to go by. Only RIMS, after a thorough probe can answer whether the said patient was greeted with the news that he cannot be treated as it was a holiday, a Sunday in this case. RIMS need to thoroughly probe this and spell out the findings to the public and not only to the JAC. Manipur deserves to know.
Healthcare is something much more than health infrastructure and while Manipur is keeping up with the strides in health science, it is not clear whether it is keeping pace with the ‘care’ and ‘treat’ aspect. This is what is worrying and the two recent incidents at RIMS should tell so many stories. Equally worrying too is whether the matter would be given the quit burial or whether anything good will come out from the ugly incidents. Two lives have been lost and it is only right that the people expect to see some response. The expectations of the people from a place to care for the sick and dying are not something out of the world. A little effort in demonstrating, ‘We care, we will do our best’ can go a long way in underlining the true essence of a place which is there to treat and care for the dying. To be told brusquely that a patient cannot be treated ‘as today is a holiday’ is taking things a little too far and to set the record straight RIMS would need to constitute a fact finding team and ensure that things are taken to its logical conclusion. A conclusion that should satisfy the directly affected people and Manipur as a whole. This is also the time for the patients’ party to come to the fact that in as much as a hospital is there to care for the sick and ailing, it is only right that this is responded to in a way that says, ‘We know and we do respect the sanctum sanctorum of a hospital’. Why this has not been the case for so long is the question that needs an answer.
Healthcare is something much more than health infrastructure and while Manipur is keeping up with the strides in health science, it is not clear whether it is keeping pace with the ‘care’ and ‘treat’ aspect. This is what is worrying and the two recent incidents at RIMS should tell so many stories. Equally worrying too is whether the matter would be given the quit burial or whether anything good will come out from the ugly incidents. Two lives have been lost and it is only right that the people expect to see some response. The expectations of the people from a place to care for the sick and dying are not something out of the world. A little effort in demonstrating, ‘We care, we will do our best’ can go a long way in underlining the true essence of a place which is there to treat and care for the dying. To be told brusquely that a patient cannot be treated ‘as today is a holiday’ is taking things a little too far and to set the record straight RIMS would need to constitute a fact finding team and ensure that things are taken to its logical conclusion. A conclusion that should satisfy the directly affected people and Manipur as a whole. This is also the time for the patients’ party to come to the fact that in as much as a hospital is there to care for the sick and ailing, it is only right that this is responded to in a way that says, ‘We know and we do respect the sanctum sanctorum of a hospital’. Why this has not been the case for so long is the question that needs an answer.