Tura, Sept 24: Recent targeting of serving doctors from a particular hospital in Garo Hills in a smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by some groups and news propagators has caused an outrage among health professionals and the state health department which has called for a stop to vilifying those working for the interest of the people.
The state’s top health official, P Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, issued a notice on Monday urging for a stop to the publication of unconfirmed reports and the naming of health professionals as it is “severely impacting” the morale of health workers who have been dedicatedly serving the people of Garo Hills.
It has come to the notice of the department about an alleged case of medical negligence in Jengjal Sub Divisional Hospital. Although there has been no direct complaint from the aggrieved party, the Department is looking into the matter and has sought for a comprehensive report from the Director of Health Services (Maternal Child Health and Family Welfare), the notice from the Principal Secretary stated.
The case revolves around a surgical case in January of this year, where doctors at Jengjal Sub-Divisional Hospital, 30 kms from Tura, managed to save the life of a pregnant woman who arrived in a critical condition for labor. But postoperative complications later arose due to the presence of a foreign object leading to a second medical intervention that turned out to be successful.
Though there was no official complaint from the patient who underwent the operation nor her family, it turned into a major issue after certain groups and news disseminators allegedly went overboard putting out unverified stories, calling out even a senior doctor who has been serving the region for many years.
“Prima facie it seems the hospital actually saved the life of the patient when she was presented with a complicated situation during her labor in January 2024. The Department of Health and Family Welfare recognizes the effort made by the institution in saving numerous lives of people of the region, particularly women and children during the past two and a half years,” stated Sampath Kumar.
The government has cautioned that until the inquiry is complete, agencies should refrain from publishing any unconfirmed news or quote names of any health professional working in the hospital because “It can bring down the morale of the health workers who are actually working tirelessly to save lives.”
