Health

Mr Health Minister, Telangana

Dear Eatala Rajender garu,

I completely understand that as Health minister of Telangana, it is your responsibility to keep the citizens of the state healthy and safe. Your concern therefore to find out for yourself, the situation on the ground in the hospitals is to be appreciated. Especially when there are scores of patients admitted to hospitals with dengue, malaria, chikungunya, viral fever and even swine flu now.

But my request as the parent of a child who spent three days in hospital due to dengue and has just recovered is not to convert this into a jamboree. By all means, do visit the hospitals but kindly go by yourself, along with the medical superintendent and a couple of doctors. Not like how you visited Fever hospital in Hyderabad last week when you were accompanied by a host of TRS leaders who looked more keen to be in every photo frame. Ditto today where you went along with two other ministers to a hospital in Suryapet and the number of hangers-on had gone up manifold.

It is more likely that you will get to see the real picture when you travel incognito instead of converting the hospital visits into a media spectacle and a photo-op. It will help you frame the health policy for the state better.

Rajender garu, as you would be aware, the immunity level of these patients would be low, making them vulnerable to contracting other illnesses thanks to the germs that visitors would carry. As it is, hospitals in general are home to a host of germs and bacteria. But because you are the health minister and a political VIP, doctors cannot even gather the courage to tell you not to come with a crowd of people. 

So please avoid visiting hospitals with fellow ministers, MLAs, TRS leaders, hangers-on and the media. You are not helping the patients in recovering by descending on them in a crowd. 

The same goes for other opposition leaders who want to use the present medical crisis and scare to corner the government. This has been going on for too many years. Hospitals, like temples, should not be used to play politics. 

A concerned parent

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