Country's Richest Civic Body Failed To Protect Citizens: State Human Rights Body Fines BMC ₹12 Lakh After Sweepers Perform ECG On Patients

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) imposed a hefty fine of Rs 12 lakhs on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after it learnt that the civic body had not recruited 'trained' practitioners to perform Electrocardiogram on patients in one of its hospitals.In doing so the human rights panel said that allowing a ward boy or a sweeper to carry out an Electrocardiogram (ECG) on a patient is a clear case of violation of basic human rights.The coram presided over by Justice (retd) Anant Badar, MSHRC Chairman, pulled up the BMC for its 'utter failure' to protect the human rights of the citizens. "Hospitals run by the BMC, which may be the richest Municipal Corporation in India having hundreds of crore rupees in deposit, apart from the biggest budget, headed by the top bureaucrat, is expected to provide safest, affordable, accessible and high quality healthcare to the citizens especially when they are coming from weaker sections of society. It cannot be said that this is a case involving under resourced Municipal Corporation of the State. Health care facilities in private Hospitals are not within reach of even a middle class citizen who hope and expect that his life is safe, if the treatment is taken at the Hospital run by the richest Municipal Corporation. He expect that he is in safe hands of a well-trained medical staff in such Municipal Hospitals," Justice Badar said in the order passed on October 6.About the instant case of sweepers/wardboys conducting ECG on patients at the civic-run Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Shatabdi Hospital, in Govandi Mumbai, the judge said shows the "grim reality" of the big hospital run by the richest civic body in India. The crux of the complaint was to the effect that sanitary workers (Safai Karamachari) of this Shatabdi Hospital run by the Municipal Corporation is taking ECG of the patient. The BMC responded that the actual work of taking the ECG is done by a 'trained employee'. The Commission queried as to who is a trained employee. To this the medical officer of the hospital said that ECG Technician of that Hospital is vacant since last one year and therefore, this work is being done by the 'Ward Boys' working in the Hospital."It is thus clear that averments made by complainant Mrs. Pallavi Patil are true as ECG of the patient due for surgery at this Shatabdi Hospital run by Municipal Corporation is taken, not by the ECG Technicians but by the 'Ward Boys' of that Hospital," the commission said. The commission took note of a photograph is filed by the complainant showing that a Sweeper is taking the ECG of the patient in the said Hospital."This documentary evidence coupled with the response of the MCGM certainly establishes a fact that as trained ECG Technician is not available at the Shatabdi Hospital, work of taking ECG of the patients is done by 'Ward Boys' of the Hospital or by the Sweepers as alleged in the complaint," the commission said. "This shows the dark side of the picture of health care facilities in the Municipal Hospital and speaks volumes about negligence in protecting human rights of patients by the BMC. The fact situation emerging on record shows that there is utter failure on the part of the BMC to protect life of the patients or least to say, it has failed to protect human rights of patients which had undergone surgeries at the said Shatabdi Hospital since last one year. In such situation there is no point in taking pride that the BMC has hundreds of crores in deposit when basic health care facility is not taken care of," Justice Badar remarked. The strongly-worded order comes on a complaint filed by one activist Pallavi Patil who brought to the notice of the MSHRC that since last one year, the ward boys or the sweepers in the Shatabdi Hospital were performing the ECG as the BMC failed to recruit professional or trained personnel to use the said machines. Justice Badar noted that the medical jurisprudence makes it clear that ECG report is a standard part of the pre-anaesthesia checkup conducted to assess of cardiac health of a patient before performing surgery on him as it aims to identify existing heath issues and uncover new ones that could impact on survival of the patient during and after surgery and to make the surgery safer to protect life of the patient. "Taking out ECG by a trained Technician prior to undergoing high risk surgical procedure specially if a patient has one or more clinical risk factor like coronary artery disease which is in present days a very common ailment, is a sine quo non for safety of the patient who has to undergo the surgery. Thus, ECG is an important part of preoperative investigation which has direct nexus with safety of the patient, so also his life. By not providing a trained staff and getting the work of taking ECG done by the untrained staff like Ward Boys and Sweepers, clear case of violation of human rights and not taking care of protection of human rights of patients at the Shatabdi Hospital by...

Country's Richest Civic Body Failed To Protect Citizens: State Human Rights Body Fines BMC ₹12 Lakh After Sweepers Perform ECG On Patients

Narsi Benwal

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