New Delhi: Doctors in India are just not fighting the dreaded pandemic coronavirus. They are also tackling a situation where they cannot say anything anti-government; anti-authority. The moment they do so, they face backlash and censorship. This is both at the state and national level.
West Bengal doctors suffer
Kolkata-based oncologist Dr Indranil Khan received images on his mobile phone of doctors wearing raincoats while treating COVID-19 patients. He shared those pictures on Twitter and was soon detained by the police. The charges against him were that he was causing communal disharmony and criminal intimidation.
Only after he posted on social media that the West Bengal government is working hard for the doctors, he was released. Not to be cowed down, Khan moved a local court to contest the charges. The court observed that no government can intimidate doctors, even those who bring ‘disrepute’ to it.
Forget Khan’s plight. Another doctor in West Bengal’s Malda district has been showcaused for lighting diyas in the hospital premises. He did so April 4 responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call. Charges against him are that he endangered people’s lives. The doctor has been asked to respond by the end of this week.
India has 1.2 million doctors. The doctor -population ratio is 1:1456, much lower than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of 1:1000. Yet amid the crisis, they are being hauled up by the administration all across the country. And in most cases their grievances are focused on the lack of proper protective gear.
Recently, four doctors of New Delhi’s Hindu Rao Hospital were severely reprimanded and threatened with dismissal. They had only highlighted the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). They were right because they are risking their lives while treating coronavirus patients.
Adequate protective gear says government
The Union Health Ministry has assured that there is no shortage of PPEs and N-95 masks. The administration in various states has also emphasised on this fact. Some officials have said that action must be taken against ‘people who spread fake news regarding PPE shortage on WhatsApp’.
Even doctors are human beings and they are putting their lives on the line. More than 100 doctors and nurses have tested positive for coronavirus. One doctor in Madhya Pradesh has died after being infected by coronavirus.
Plight of doctors in AIIMS
Allegations are flying thick and fast regarding PPEs. An AIIMS doctor said recently that they were treating COVID-19 patients wearing HIV protection kits.
“PPE kits meant for examining HIV patients are not equipped to resist droplets. Coronavirus infection gets transmitted through droplets sneezed out or coughed up by infected patients,” the doctor has been quoted as saying by a website. But those who raised such issues on social media were being intimidated by the authorities, he said.
However, the doctor’s allegation was rubbished by AIIMS director Randeep Guleria. He said doctors and nurses in coronavirus wards were getting proper PPE. He said that PPEs also met ‘international guidelines’. He also said doctors if they have grievances should discuss those internally. Guleria asserted that the complaints should not be posted on social media.
Some doctors and nurses in a Delhi hospital have also refused to donate a portion of their salary to the PM Cares Fund. Instead, they have asked the authorities to provide them with proper PPEs and security.
See link: https://twitter.com/DrHarjitBhatti/status/1249319389402255362
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan’s views
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan however, said that there is no ‘gag’ order on the health professionals. However he clarified that doctors should not post their grievances on the social media. “They must approach the authorities or even write to me,” Harsh Vardhan was quoted as saying.
As things stand, doctors in India are fighting two battles. One can be seen; against coronavirus, the other unseen; against censorship, against ostracisation. Yes there have been a number of instances where nurses working in COVID-19 wards have been asked to vacate rented places. There have been cases where doctors have also faced mob fury.
In the present situation, doctors need all the cooperation to win against this deadly coronavirus. It is the responsibility of all others to see they get it.
Agencies