Friday, June 27, 2008

Condition of Goverment Hospitals

Last fortnight I had been to the Hamidia hospital to visit one of my relatives. I was really shocked when I saw the condition of the general ward. It is not only with the Hamidia hospital.
Most of the wards of the Government hospitals are in the same condition. What I personally think that if any of the top authorities from health department spend a single day there, I am sure the very next day they could be admitted to the ICU. After spending horrible 15 minutes there when I was about to return, in parking lot a rural woman, along with her child, came to me; her condition was very pitiable, I thought she might be a beggar so I gave her one rupee, but she refused and started weeping.
She showed me a piece of paper in which medicines were written.
She said "Saab Bheek nahi chahiye bas yeh dawai dilwado" the medicine was of some gastro problem. I asked why doesn't she tell to the concerned doctor that hospital staff are not providing these medicines; Her reply was that the doctor had told her to bring these medicines. Later she told me that they came from a village near Berasia.
Her husband Tulsi Ram is a farm labour and suffers from some intestine problem. First they Had approached the Berasia Govt. Hospital from where after one week the doctor referred him to the Hamidia Hospital. Tulsi Ram is the only bread winner of his family comprising of wife and 3 children. They are in Bhopal for the last 10 days. The money which they brought from home has been spent. I felt sorry for them and purchased medicines for them. Then I told them about a donor who gave them some money after which I left them.
The whole day I was in a deep thought. Most of the people who come to Hamidia Hospital for treatment belong to poor class. Some patients who come from outside, their attendants are seen asking alms near Hamidia Hospital as they don't have sufficient money to stay with their patients. And when Hospital Staff ask them for medicines, they have no option than to collect money through alms. Although every year a huge fund is being allotted for medical facility and in every budget government lays special emphasis on health programmes but God knows where all these funds go.
Just after 7 days of this incident I get a shock when I read the news that on Friday the Income Tax department raided the premises of more than a dozen high profile personnel including Abhay Vishnoi, brother of the Health minister Ajay Vishnoi, Home secretary Rajesh Rajora, Health director Dr. Ashok Sharma and some well known businessmen from the State including owner of well known Raj Group Arun Sehlot, whose remarkable progress and development in a very less time are still a mystery for many people including me.
Last year also there was an Income Tax raid in the premises of director of health Dr Yogiraj Sharma. Some years back there was a scam related to purchase of some medical equipment in which well-known heart specialist Dr Manoria was involved.
Current Income Tax raids are the result of those complaints which are registered in Economic offence wings against the corruption of health department from last few years.
Whatever Income Tax department got is just a drop from the ocean. Our state never saw such a biggest Income Tax operation before. It was the first time when an IAS officer's premises was raided by the Income Tax department.
The money which Income Tax department found from these people are that their hard earned money, if not than from where they got this much of amount.
It is high time to put all those people who gallop the rights of poor people behind the bars because of these social weeds many innocent under privileged people are losing their lives.
SHARJEEL KHAN