Last Sunday I met an IFS(Indian Foreign Services) officer, who happened to be the civil services batchmate of my close friend.Me along with my close friend met him at his residence.He came from Germany, where he was working under Ambassador of India to Germany.His parents are here in Hyderabad.He’s holidaying now here in Hyderabad.He’s very charming and smart looking guy in his early thirties.What I noticed was his eversmiling nature.We had a casual chat for half an hour like:How’s life? What about your batchmates?That man got married?This man’s still doing like that?About the love affairs and the misdeeds of one IRS guy.Very funny.I enjoyed a lot.
Suddenly my close friend asked him, ’When you’re going to get remarried?’ Then that eversmiling guy became dull and said, ’Well.It takes some more time to forget Shilpa.Let’s hope it will come soon.’ I didn’t get anything.But then, I was shocked to to know that he lost his wife two years ago during her last month of her pregnancy.They were a very happy and adorable couple for one and half years and they were going to bless with a child.What did all happen?
When she got labor pains, she was admitted into an hospital, here, in Hyderabad.The doctor assured him that his wife was in good health and that she would have a normal delivery.Some time later he tried to touch his wife or at least speak with her, but it appeared that she was unconscious.Then immediately he asked the hospital staff about his wife’s condition and they repeatedly assured him that Shilpa was’doing fine’.And the hospital staff simply told him that there was a slight injury to the victim’s blood vessel but this was nothing to be worried about. When he requested that his wife be transferred to another hospital, due to her precarious condition, the staff assured him that the hospital was equipped to handle her situation.That was more than 3 ½ hours after being informed by the hospital that the victim’s condition was complicated .and his wife died with unborn child.
The circumstance of the victim’s death was unclear.Shilpa, a normal person with no medical complications earlier in her life, died all of a sudden despite the hospital staff’s assurances to her husband that her condition was not serious and was manageable.
He told us there were some attempts done to conceal the truth behind the case like case sheet manipulation.There might be a wrong administering anaesthesia without having the required degree.Lot of reasons.These kind of things didn’t make him to stay calm.He filed a case in consumer’s court and fighting against the hospital for justice.He has to manage his job and pursue the court case.
He says, ’We cannot bring back the life of my wife.That’s true.but I will not allow these doctors to play with the lives of more patients and this is going to make an alarm for these kind of hospitals.’ He is right. Strange are the ways of justice in India. Here, if a complaint against any professional service is to be lodged, it has to be lodged with the statutory body of the respective service discipline. The members of the body, who are themselves persons of a particular profession, would proceed against someone belonging to their own profession. Really a strange thing. As a result of such an arrangement, in most cases, it is seen, that the affected party seldom gets any justice. The offender usually go scot-free.
In India if a patient is subjected to deliberate negligence(which is a norm nowadays rather than an exception), he or she is required to lodge a complaint with the respective State chapter of Indian Medical Council. Here, is a panel of doctors would then decide the fate of their professional colleague. A ridiculous arrangement indeed. In most cases it was seen that the doctors went scot-free killing more and more patients with impunity.
Gone are the days, when a doctor was considered a good Samaritan of the area. I heard that even during the decade of 70s, doctors were available throughout the night. Nowadays, doctors are loath to leave the comfort of the confines of their homes at night.True, doctors are not expected to render charitable service throughout their lifetime, but they are at least expected to pay attention to those from whom they are charging fees. Fees have skyrocketed in recent years, and the service have taken a nose-drive. Taking commissions for referring to nursing homes, or diagnostic centres are commonplace phenomena and no one raises an eyebrow if one hears of commissions. Yet, the doctors speak of deteriorating patient-doctor relationship. Can’t they indulge in some degree of self-introspection?