Friday, September 16, 2011

A Hiatus..and some mixed feelings

I've been away for some time. A deep personal wound-the passing away of one of my favoritest people in the world, has been like a rude awakening from my zombie state of typing reports and making presentations. I am beginning to value life more, and to also appreciate the presence of those in my life, 'who care'. 

The news from Gadchandur this week, is kind of like a mixed bag. 

A 'could have been' mother lost her life in childbirth in an extremely well renowned private institution of Chandrapur, as her bladder was incised and nothing apparently done about it, during a routine 'C' section. The baby survived and is healthy. 

In this same week, a baby girl was saved by the combined efforts of the Nurse, the Sakhi, the Sakhi supervisor, and the Anganwadi Tai; even after having been born 'bums-first' and being unconscious for a few seconds after birth.

The cycle of life continues. 

On a slightly more disturbing note, last week, I came to know that the 108 ambulance that came to rush my grandmother to the hospital, had no oxygen available. Also, that the doctor who came to attend to her, a B.A.M.S, gave her an injection and left.  She succumbed to a massive heart attack. I would like to know what that injectable drug was. I would also like to meet the people who entered into the 108 Public-Private Partnership for the state of Punjab, and selected the ambulances and the equipment for them. Who sends an ambulance to a cardiac patient without a paramedic and an oxygen cylinder?

In this country, if you fall sick, it is imperative that you have at least one 'doctor' in the family, who is by your side, to decipher 'healthcare' for you and to save you from, the world of 'medicine'.





2 comments:

Mrigank Mehrotra said...

I wasnt aware of dat n it is horrible :( The state of health system needs a massive improvement in dis country n I knw u will make a difference some day :)

drhimangi said...

I hope so too. Accountability is sorely missing from healthcare delivery in this country. The system has slowly become a farce...Hope that my work, in some small way, would lead to atleast a few people knowing that health is a right as much as it is a responsibility. The health of the elderly is in gross neglect and we need some real solutions, rather than just big words, to find a way out.