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| Careless curers: Junior doctors in agitation over their demands; a patient returns unattended from hospital. The Telegraph file pictures |
lIt is heartening that senior officers of the Army and the police have expressed satisfaction with the clean-up drive at the Book Fair site (Amity on Maidan, February 16). This proves once again that where there is a will, there is a way. If all parties act responsibly there?s no justification in shifting the Book Fair venue from the heart of the city.
Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala.
I read the reports ?A donation of life? and ?Medicos ask for more, services hit?, February 17, with mixed feelings. While Debapriya Kar of Chittaranjan National Medical College and Hospital set a precedent by donating blood to save the life of a patient, junior doctors ground to halt medical services at SSKM Hospital.
Magnanimous acts by doctors are alien to us; we hear only of their acts of moral turpitude. Large-heartedness on the part of doctors seems too much to expect. The hopes stoked by the Kar?s selflessness were quickly put out by the irresponsibility of the SSKM medicos. No one, of course, denies that their stipends should be increased. But they should not have gone on strike to press their demands.
Arindam Basu,
Birati.
Doctors are often misunderstood. Debapriya Kar?s act will somewhat redeem the image of the medicos, who often earn the disrespect and wrath of patients for no fault of theirs.
A.F. Kamruddin Ahmed,
Bandpur, Hooghly.
It is unfortunate that doctors of SSKM Hospital and Medical College and Hospital went on ceasework, affecting services. It is shocking that even emergency surgeries had to be postponed. The people who cannot afford to go to nursing homes are suffering due to the reluctance of the authorities to meet the legitimate demands of junior doctors.
Sourish Misra,
Salt Lake.
Congratulations to Debapriya Kar for his noble act. The doctor?s blood saved the life of zari worker Moinuddin.
Sachindra Nath Mitra,
Beleghata.
Debapriya Kar?s sense of duty drove him to donate blood to save a patient?s life. The act underscores that humanity still thrives in society. We are proud of him. The incident reminded of the Bengali film Agniswar, in which the main protagonist, a doctor, donated blood to save the life of a critical patient.
Sukumar Ghosh,
Mukundapur.
Debapriya Kar?s act was almost a dream come true. It was the act of an individual rising to the nobility of his calling. News of medical negligence, misbehaviour with patients and wrong treatment are quite common. Donation of blood by Kar stands out even more under the circumstances.
Kar deserves to be complimented not only by people like us, but by his colleagues. It would be foolish to expect similar devotion from all doctors. But they could at least be sincere in discharging their duties so that the patients do no lose faith in medicos.
The incident is also an example of communal amity and should be written about in medical journals for the amount of goodwill it generated.
Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala.
The damaging effects of trade-unionism are reflected in the action of the junior doctors at SSKM, even though their demand for an increase in stipend might be legitimate. It appears that the health department is exploiting junior doctors in the same manner it exploits the patients. But the strike underscores the medicos? lack of compassion for the ailing, which also manifests itself among their seniors. Were the patients who came to SSKM Hospital in any way responsible for the low stipend?
It is an abuse of humanity when surgeries are cancelled or trainee nurses assist surgeons instead of junior doctors. The doctors are also on the wrong side of the law. The Supreme Court has recently declared that professionals dedicated to ?emergency services? have no right to go on strike. The rights of a few can never supersede the basic rights of the rest.
Kunal Saha,
Ohio, USA.
Debapriya Kar rose above religious and social considerations to give an artisan the gift of life. Let us hope that more and more doctors follow in his footsteps.
Chandan Ray,
Beleghata
Apropos your article ?Fixing the chinks in the insurance armour?, February 22, the agent should explain the risks and benefits of an insurance policy in writing, so that there is no misunderstanding or confusion. Most disputes in this regard arise because the explanations by some agents mislead the insurer. Agents also lure customers keen to save income tax with the promise of a percentage of their commission and false assurances. They should be punished.
Madhabi D. Ghosh,
Salt Lake.
Apropos the report ?A race is run, the day is won?, February 20, The Telegraph Kolkata Marathon 2006 inspired the sportsperson in all of us. This is significant since pressure of studies and other forms of entertainment are keeping even children away from sports these days.
Ratan Kumar Halder,
Behala.
The Telegraph Kolkata Marathon 2006 proved to be a huge success. It is expected that athletes will be eager to take part in such an event, but the enthusiasm of the average Calcuttan was a revelation. Not every day do people assemble in thousands to support the cause of a demanding outdoor sport. Calcutta has once again lived up to its reputation of being a sports-friendly city.
Arjun Chaudhuri,
Bhowanipore.
Apropos the report ?Patriotism, stirred pink & basanti?, February 15, it is not surprising that the tracks of Rang De Basanti has topped charts everywhere and scored over the typical Bollywood numbers on Valentine?s Day. The songs have catchy rhythms and lyrics, but they have become popular only in the context of the movie.
Khalid Pervez,
Lake Gardens.
It?s not just the ancient buildings that are posing a threat to public safety. Chatterjee International is not very old, but faulty construction has made it unsafe (Lock on tallest tower, February 16). A few years back, an engineer was killed after being hit by a brick that fell off the structure. Many people walk past the building in fear. Calcutta Municipal Corporation must properly assess the risk posed by the building and take necessary measures.
Abul Fateh Kamruddin,
Chandbati, Hooghly.
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Calcutta - 700 001
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