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Walk, don’t smoke: Rallyists out on the annual World No Tobacco Day |
Medical justice forum may douse flames
The report ?Mob ransacks hospital?, May 25, is a grim reminder of the sorry state of healthcare in West Bengal. Doctor-bashing cannot be supported under any circumstance, but the government and the medical fraternity need to ponder on the underlying reasons for frequent demonstrations of public anger at hospitals and nursing homes.
Most cases of mob attacks on doctors result from the frustration that ordinary people feel when their loved ones fall victim to apparent acts of medical neglect. The medical justice system in India is woefully inefficient. In the absence of any real hope of punitive action against errant medicos, victims of medical malpractice often prefer to take the law into their own hands.
Physical attacks on the doctors are virtually non-existent in developed countries like the US. Physicians in India often argue that ordinary people with no medical background are incapable of judging errors in treatment. They allege that when the death of a patient is inevitable, family members get carried away and attack doctors.
There is little doubt that the ordinary people can sometimes come to the wrong conclusion regarding medical negligence. But had ignorance been the sole reason behind doctor-bashing in India, physical attacks on physicians after deaths of patients would also have occurred with comparable frequency in countries like the US.
In spite of a much superior standard of healthcare, doctors in the USA are regularly held guilty for mistakes not just by the court of law, but also by their peers at the medical boards. The virtual absence of an appropriate forum for justice is the primary reason for frequent attacks on doctors and hospitals in West Bengal.
Kunal Saha,
Ohio, USA.
A day for smoke alert
Apropos the report ?Alert on tobacco trail of woe?, May 31, anti-puff noises are dutifully made every year on the eve of World No Tobacco Day. More than 300,000 Indians die annually due to tobacco-related diseases, according to a WHO report. Alarmingly, the city is earning the dubious distinction of being the leader in terms of incidences of such ailments. The main reason for that is Calcutta lags behind cities like Patna, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai in conducting anti-smoking campaigns. The government?s failure in imposing curbs on smoking is amply proved by the fact that people are found smoking freely in trains, buses, autorickshaws, government offices, banks, shopping malls, bus stands, and even in colleges, schools and hospitals.
Sunil Banerjee,
VIP Road.
It is really sad that despite an increase in the number of tobacco-related diseases, the state government is yet to implement a ban on smoking in public places. Considering the dangers of passive smoking, taking a puff in public transports should attract the strictest of punishment.
Piyal Mukherjee,
Lake Town.
Observing World No Tobacco Day would be useless unless a serious campaign is undertaken against smoking-related diseases. It is a matter of great concern that smoking among teenagers has shot up by 25 per cent in the past seven to 10 years. It is unfortunate that even the chief minister has declared in public that he will not give up smoking on ?no-smoking day?.
Govinda Bakshi,
Budge Budge.
Smoking among children is steadily on the rise. Teachers have an important role to play in advising students about its ill-effects, so that they do not form the habit. Since smoking is harmful to health, it should ideally be banned by the government.
B.N. Bose,
Dum Dum Park.
Role model
Kudos for publishing the photograph of Kiran Bedi wishing young participants best of luck at a rowing meet (Success formula, May 26). At a time when there is a distinct dearth of role models, the young can look up to Bedi for inspiration.
Tanmoy Ghosh,
Naktala.
On the waterfront
Apropos the report ?Babus meet on riverfront?, May 25, the development of the Hooghly banks has once again come to the fore. The project is overdue and should be implemented without further delay. The Hooghly still attracts several tourists and the government should cash in on that.
Anil Kumar Sen,
Ram Chandra Chatterjee Lane.
Drug danger
It is a matter of regret and concern that drugs banned abroad are being openly sold in the city and the doctors are prescribing them (Caution code in drug label debut, Metro 26). The medical council?s silence on the issue is most puzzling.
It is heartening that at least one manufacturer has started printing labels on the bottle of a banned drug cautioning people not to administer it to children younger than three years.
A.F. Kamruddin Ahmed,
Collin Lane.
Printing the risk factors on labels of paediatric medicines will help parents to make an informed choice while selecting medicines for their children. Doctors should also have to look into the risks involved before prescribing medicines.
Kaustav Sinha,
Garia.
Wrong move
Apropos the report ?Spot jinx on father figures?, May 28, it is perplexing to learn that the 12-ft bronze statue of Jawaharlal Nehru is going to be shifted from the Park Street-Chowringhee intersection, as per the direction of the Fort William authority. I protest the move and request the state government to take the responsibility of maintaining the statues of Gandhi, Nehru and Netaji.
Prahlad Agarwala,
Majdia, Nadia.
Portal power to people
Apropos the report ?Website that counts tax returns, pension dues?, May 26, the portal will prove to be a boon for common people. They will no longer have to run from pillar to post in government offices and be harassed at the hands of office staff in the process.
Sourish Misra,
Salt Lake.
Clarification
Apropos ?Caf? call in cine stop? (Goodlife, June 22), Brotin Banerjee is the chief operating officer of Barista.
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in Metro may be sent to:
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Street
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E-mail: ttmetro@abpmail.com
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