Friends, one news item which is not covered by media is what is happening to Non Covid patients who require hospital services. Media is always mentioning about the availability of Hospital beds, ICU beds, Ventilators, PPE kits etc for Covid patients, but they always forget even before Covid the facilities at all the hospitals were being used by patients with other ailments. Now position is such that along with Covid 19 patients, our healthcare system has also failed thousands of non Covid patients. While many have succumbed, several others have been left without any medical facility at proper time.
This pandemic has left behind another set of victims. Those under treatment for some other chronic ailments suddenly were without beds, doctors, support health staff, blood, ventilators, intensive care units and medicines, as the entire healthcare system turned its focus on the pandemic, leaving this vulnerable section behind.
While some elective processes like knee replacement surgery could wait, a cancer and thalassaemia patient can not afford to postpone blood transfusion, as it become matter of life and death. In case of some of these diseases the patients’ risk could be very severe if they became infected with corona virus. You can imagine the fate of patients who are coming to Mumbai from far places.
Recently World Health Organisation (WHO) carried out a study in many countries, which revealed treatment of Non Covid diseases, many of them chronic have come to complete or partial halt caused by mobility restrictions and overload healthcare system including healthcare professional. According to the study, several countries, including India, have postponed public health programmes like screening of cancer patients. Researchers on global health feel that the entire health system can not be focussed on one disease for along time. This is not a sustainable model. Outdoor clinics that were shut should be gradually opened. With the monsoon season setting in, other diseases too will be on rise. The hospitals should have to be ready for these as well. While any postponement in cases of, say cosmetic surgery is probably not that tricky, the same can not be said of a patient requiring heart valve replacement. Now what is urgent and what is not can be very tricky in some cases.
In non Covid news, one news item which has taken nation by storm is – the custodial death of father son duo Jayaraj (age 61) and Bennics (age 31) both trader by profession at Sattankulam in Thoothukadi district of Tamil Nadu. It has been reported that their death was due to custodial torture. They both died in Kovilpatti sub jail on the night/early morning of 22nd/23rd June 2020, after they were arrested by the police on 19th June for allegedly violating the lockdown restrictions and keeping their shop opened beyond the permissible time. It has been said that the police allegedly inserted a baton into the private part of Bennicks, triggering uncontrolled bleeding. The police also beat his father Jayaraj and kicked him in the chest. The torture had left their bodies mutilated.
The Tamil Nadu govt, after seeing the widespread public protests have decided to transfer the probe into the death of father son duo to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The govt is informing the Madras High Court about this decision as HC by itself has taken cognizance of the matter. Yesterday in belated action the state govt , suspended Sattankulam inspector of police, Sreedhar in connection with these deaths. Earlier two police personnel were suspended immediately after the issue came to light. The govt is facing flak for failing to book the police personnel involved in the torture deaths and arresting them.
Meanwhile the issue has snowballed, with all the opposition leaders criticising the govt for protecting the police personnel. So let us wait and watch for the further developments in this issue.
Awaiting for your views/feed backs/comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
29th June 2020.