Unmasked

With the BMC adding more swine flu testing centres, MiD DAY visits one and comes away appalled at the lack of safety measures for staff and slack outlook to sample collection for testing

With the BMC adding more swine flu testing centres, MiD DAY visits one and comes away appalled at the lack of safety measures u00a0for staff and slack outlook to sample collection for testing

The BMC may have opened five more swine flu testing centres in the city yesterday, but the negligence that
MiD DAY witnessed at one of the testing centres defeats the purpose behind the move.

At Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, which is now a testing centre, many staff members complained that they had not been provided protective masks.

Unmasked: Disgruntled u00a0X-Ray department employees of Rajawadi Hospital who had not been given masks

Three staff members, who had not been given masks, accused the senior officials of negligence. "No one is serious about their job.

They don't even care whether the staff members have been provided with safety masks or not," said an employee who, with his colleagues, was on his way to complain about this oversight.
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They were, however, interrupted by a security guard and taken to Chief Medical Officer Dr Vinayak Shinde's office before they could say anything else. Ironically, a couple of other staff members were standing outside Shinde's office without masks.



A security guard on duty, on condition of anonymity, said, "We too don't have masks. Let things settle down first, then I will ask for one."
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A canteen employee, who was exiting the hospital, said, "I don't want to comment on why I am not wearing a mask. Go and ask the doctors."

The sample collection centre remained unmanned for about two hours, while people outside got agitated.

No staff

Meanwhile, people who were flocking to Rajawadi Hospital in large numbers were disgruntled with the arrangements.

There were many who were even screaming about the fact that there was no one manning the collection centre.

This security guard too had not been given a mask

Chembur resident M R C Kathare (59), who has been suffering from cold and cough for the last three days, said, "I am sitting here for the last three hours hoping I will get my number today."

Vinod Selar (25) from Kalyan said, "I am here for the last two hours, but there are no doctors. One of the outgoing doctors said, 'My shift is over. Someone else will take charge'."

S K Aggarwal from Chembur complained that there was no one at the testing centre for the one hour that he had been there.

And for the two hours that MiD DAY was at the hospital, the blood collection centre did remain isolated.

MiD DAY had approached Dr Shinde before talking to any of the employees. But he refused to comment saying he was busy with paperwork and asked this reporter to come back.
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The reporter returned over an hour later and questioned him about the disgruntled people who had been waiting in queue for hours. This agitated Shinde and a medical officer who was in the room at the time.

The MO went on the defensive and blamed the reporter for instigating the angry crowd outside. The reporter then pointed out that he just wanted the hospital's take on the situation from the CMO.
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This resulted in a slight argument, which ended in Shinde asking the reporter to get his answers from a press conference (see box) that was scheduled for 4 pm yesterday.

Incidentally, the reporter met the angry employees on his way out of the hospital.

At the Press Conference

Dr Jairaj Thanekar, BMC's executive health officer, who was hosting the press conference yesterday, received an SMS during the press meet.
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After he read the SMS, he announced to the roomful of mediapersons that MiD DAY reporter Bipin Kumar Singh had assaulted a doctor on Saturday.

When MiD DAY contacted a doctor at the hospital, he confirmed that an SMS had been sent and that they had a recording of the reporter's conversation.

He, however, agreed that there was no assault involved and there was some miscommunication about the day of the incident.

He added that another SMS clarifying these points had been sent to Dr Thanekar.