mid-day editorial: Don't make the healers sick

The most important rule in medicine is to first do no harm. And this statute applies not just to patients but also to doctors and medical students, who deserve to be protected from harm while they heal others

The most important rule in medicine is to first do no harm. And this statute applies not just to patients but also to doctors and medical students, who deserve to be protected from harm while they heal others. But a significant lapse and dereliction of duty at the Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals has left its students exposed to deadly radiation without adequate protection.

According to a Right To Information (RTI) application filed by an alumnus, radiology students have gone through three months without being provided the Thermoluminescent Dosimeter (TLD), an essential radiation detection device that warns them when they have had too much exposure.

A report in this paper on Monday quoted an Atomic Energy Regulatory Board representative saying that the TLD is essential for anybody working in the radiology department, as it is a device that records the amount of radiation and ensures safety.

It is shocking that such a reputed medical institution is flouting this norm and getting away with it, since the past three months. One can only imagine the mindset of medical students, who will definitely have fear and doubt playing at the back of their minds even as they conduct tests for patients. When you have distractions like these, they also affect the quality of your work and learning. One cannot expect anybody to function at optimal level, if they have a cloud like this hovering over them. In the report, a radiology student does admit that without TLD, it is impossible for them to know how much radiation they have been exposed to during tests such as CT scans, sonography and X-rays.

It is baffling that the college authorities are waffling on when asked for a response and seeking to shift blame. Students must have the power to complain to a higher authority rather than put themselves at risk. If need be, the medical council or a higher body must step in. This is a serious lacuna and needs remedial action — not tomorrow, but today.

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