Delhi Govt’s courageous action

By cancelling the licence of Shalimar Bagh Max Hospital, the Delhi Government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has shown courage to act against its criminal negligence. How negligent and careless the doctor was that he declared a baby dead when he or she was alive. It is a matter of investigation. Why the hospital management employs such negligent and careless doctors. Or, Are they under some much pressure from the management that they failed to act sensibly? Declaring the baby dead when he or she was alive by the doctor is nothing but the criminal negligence. Undoubtedly, the doctors work under severe pressure in big private hospitals. But it does not give them the freedom to be lax and careless while giving treatment to the patients. Doctors are entrusted with the task of saving the lives of the patients. The first and foremost duty of the doctors is to treat the patients with utmost seriousness. Private hospitals and schools avail all govt. helps and facility on the priority basis. But in spite of providing service to the people, they become the centres of fleecing money from them in the name of treatment and teaching. Before declaring the child dead, the doctors should have checked him or her very properly. If they had done so, this unfortunate incident would not have happened. In the recent past a big private hospital named Fortis hospital in Guroan failed to save the girl suffering from Dengue fever, but charged Rs. 26 lakh from her parents. She was in hospital for 15 days only. The apathy in the treatment of the patient by the doctors at private or govt. hospitals must not be tolerated. Doctors are considered to the next to God as they save patients from the throes of death. But when they are found to be negligent, careless and lax, they must be awarded deterrent punishment. Delhi government has rightly warned other hospitals against medical negligence. It is a very bold step taken by the AAP govt. of Delhi. It will send the message out that no nonsense will be tolerated by the govt. The other private and govt. hospitals now will be cautious and serious in providing treatment to the patients. As far as the position of doctors, patients, and staff at the Shalimar Bagh Max Hospital is concerned, it is for the management to make alternative arrangement for them. There is a chain of Max Hospital in the city. Max management can adjust them anywhere in its hospital. It is right that the Delhi government came down heavily on the hospital where a premature baby was wrongly declared dead last week. The baby died on Thursday at a nursing home in Pitampura after battling for life for nearly a week. A panel has been formed by the Delhi government to look into the case found the hospital administration guilty of not following prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants. It is of the urgent need for the govt. to create a mechanism to deter the erring private hospitals and schools from doing wrong. They are in wrong notion that their only business is to fleece money from the public without any accountability. Delhi govt. has taken a bold, courageous and commendable action by cancelling the licence of the Shalimar Bagh Max Hospital for declaring a baby dead wrongly.