Article, Paragraph, Essay on “Hospitals- A boon or a Doom?” article for Class 10, Class 12, Graduation Classes and descriptive examination

Hospitals- A boon or a Doom?

A Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov once wrote,”The only difference between doctors and lawyers is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you, too.” Many will not agree with the eccentricity attached to this quote, and they shouldn’t be either. But, whatever emerged recently in national capital territory of Delhi and neighbouring Haryana is something that has not only appalled the medical fraternity but the entire country.

When a person becomes sick, his condition drags him into a pathetic situation where his mind stops working and his heart starts controlling the circumstances outrightly. He becomes utterly fragile not just to external environment but his inner state of mind as well. He desperately wants to get well at any cost and on any term. And, this leads to the unending process of medical as well as para-medical treatments. The patient along with his near and dear ones stretch themselves to all possible horizons. Sometimes all these procedures work, sometimes don’t. But with all their capacity and expectations they just look to doctors and hospitals.

The profession which is synonymous with God in our country is slowly but steadily being mitigated and becoming something which is beyond the reach of the poor and the most needy. Medical negligence, too, has deteriorate this sacred and important profession. News reports about the deaths due to medical negligence, callous unprofessional behaviour of doctors and hospital staff and high end costs of therepeutics have suffused us from all around.

Whether it is the case of a just born alive baby boy who was declared dead alongwith his dead twin sister by the doctors of Max hospital in Shalimar Bagh in Delhi or the plight of a seven year old girl Adya Singh who died during dengue treatment, allegedly, due to unethical practices in the Fortis hospital in Gurugram Haryana and whose parents are handed over an atrocious bill of 16 lakh by the hospital authority for 15 days’ hospitalization. These two recent cataclysm have hurled mud onto the white apron of medical community.

These incidents appeared back to back within short intervals storming the whole nation. No doubt, Delhi government took a very strict decision by cancelling the licence of Max hospital Shalimar Bagh. CM Kejriwal himself came forward and stated that Delhi government will not tolerate such unprofessional behaviour of private hospitals. He said that his government isn’t against private medical providers, in fact, they are in favour of such entities and want them to grow further but not on the cost of public health. They cannot be allowed to flout norms of serving poor on the pretext of human error and unavoidable circumstances.

On the other hand, Haryana health minister Anil Vij has written to Haryana Urban Development Authority to cancel the land lease of Fortis hospital in Gurugram citing the charges against the hospital. The minister further said that removing the life support system while shifting the patient to an ambulance is nothing but a murder.

However, Delhi Medical Association and Indian Medical Association have strongly criticized the move of Delhi government and called the decision an autocratic one.

Though, they are right when they say that the entire hospital shouldn’t be closed down on the grounds of mistakes made by a single individual. But, they are denying the fact that a mistake which declares a living baby dead or a mistake which charges money even to the dead body of a seven year old girl can’t be treated merely as an individual fault. The whole system must take the responsibility and indulge in self corrective measures.

A nation where more than 50 percent medical care is served by private sector, such carelessness or apathy shouldn’t be ignored. Private sector will have to understand that it is not just the government that has social responsibility towards the people of this country. They have to be more sensitive and pro-poor. Moreover, governments will have to work much harder towards building a public health care system where every citizen of this country feel secure while visiting a nearby government hospital.

Hospital, a temple of viability must remain a house where dying people and their fading hope gets a new life, not a place where breathing souls are dumped into polythene bags.

By

Satendra