Doctor Sanjay Upreti is a saviour in the truest sense. Today he is battling for his life and that should concern us all, that how terrible the crime of December 14 truly was. It has left Sikkim’s upcoming health sector amputated; it has left Dr. Upreti amputated for life. There is no coming back from that.
At the scene of crime that day, seeing a colleague, a sanitary attendant named Kala Chettri, getting stabbed and with a looming threat to other staff, Doctor Upreti put himself on the line to save many lives. He is the saviour of Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital, of the countless patients, of the conscience that “we go to hospitals to be saved, not killed”.
The accused himself seems a bigger victim of society, which is so vindictive to have judged him so quickly even before understanding what his real problem is. “Unkempt”, “shabby”, “downtrodden”, “seems more like an addict”, etc., were the words that crossed the minds of many of us. But what prompted him to take that step: rejection from his family, maybe a loved one. We have given out a verdict for a crime that is strictly societal. It is more than a problem of a single man who lost his senses when a woman didn’t take his call.
When the COVID 19 treatment had its first success in Sikkim, doctors, nurses, sanitary attendants, technicians and even the patients themselves walked out of STNM Hospital to much fanfare. Those were the times the narrative delved on “The health sector are our heroes”. The government jumped on the narrative of “we can save everyone”.
But today there is no fanfare. Only those patients line up at STNM who are in dire need. Those that can be airlifted, go elsewhere. Or else those that can afford the right connections, will have a barrage of 40 party workers or constituency level supporters making a barricade for the patient admitted in a private cabin. The gloom has engulfed doctors and other health workers alike; it’s stabbed their morale.
We made our health workers heroes, the crusaders who fought back the pandemic, but just as we airlifted the problem from STNM, our narratives have changed. The rushing of the Chief Minister to the hospital a day after is praiseworthy, but the football game? The CBI ushering in Sikkim? We can’t even find 50 well-guarded police personnel inside the STNM to avoid a crime that in all inevitability, could and should have been avoided.
The day after the victim doctor and sanitary attendant were airlifted, over 500 healthcare workers at STNM staged a silent protest. Even those indifferent district hospitals extended their support, all in hope that the safety of doctors and nurses is given due respect. But that narrative has gone stale now. We are quick to forget what happened or just pretend that it was just a one-time incident. What the healthcare workers are genuinely demanding is safety inside the hospital. Is that too much to ask?
Promises have been made to install metal detectors and stringent security. But what about the 50-plus CCTV cameras that are already installed at STNM. Those couldn’t warn the doctors of the incoming threat. The question arises then that what are those CCTV cameras for? To maintain evidence after the crime has been committed or to avoid the crime before it happens? Who mans these cameras?
The blame is also being put on lack of security. But to directly blame them for the crime is discouraging and could lead to bigger problems in future. It reminds one of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games when a bomb exploded and the security personnel first at the scene, Richard Jewell, was blamed for the crime instead of the real culprit.
Some of the real problems at STNM are its dark corners, the sections were no one stays, goes or avoids, the parking lots, the abandoned rooms in some floors and empty staircases. Spare a thought for those young nurses who park their scooties in the strange, dark parking lots. What if the next rejected phone call and the ensuing incident happens to them there?.
People in Sikkim jump on the narrative that doctors and nurses in the government sector are rude. Patients call them at odd hours, and those who are courteous or sweet over the phone are soon bombarded with regular calls harassing them, asking them things like “khana khanu bha? (Did you have food)”, “Are you on duty this afternoon?”
The Central Referral Hospital is no different but they at least have a well-managed security system and fewer dark corners. But who can forget the patients dying before the emergency door could even be opened? Who could forget the barrage of political milestones with narrative ‘Kakra (cucumber) kha ke kaise marta hai’, where were the steps taken as such and threat that “if you can’t run the Hospital (CRH) allow the government to?”
Now a heinous crime has happened in a government hospital in Sikkim. Where is the government? Instead, sections of party-supporting doctors and nurses are curtailing the protest by those doctors and nurses who are genuinely concerned for their safety. And for what?
A cardiology doctor, one of the best Sikkim has produced, is battling for his life. And now after his amputation, he may not be of service to the state as he had intended to. The other best doctor is by his side, leaving behind so many cardiology concerns at bay, hoping his best colleague makes it out alive. No one has quite spared a thought to how the life of Kala Chettri may change after this incident. She too is not out of danger yet. But even if she does, how quick are we to point fingers at her or question, “what lured that man to stab her?”
Perhaps what the STNM Hospital and its doctors and staff need is more attention to their impending problems. There are genuine concerns portrayed in their fear, more so when they are avoiding media attention. We have all learnt that a memorandum has been submitted to the Sikkim Health Minister, who is himself a doctor. With some in the Opposing legislation also doctors, Sikkim has an abundance of doctors who have turned politicians. But will they work in all honesty for their brethren is left to see.
Also read: Focus on quality research, teaching: Assam Guv tells private varsities
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Thank you so much fir your beautiful article @pankaj dhungel da