Source: The News International

THE government has taken itself to a point where its top functionaries are criticised by people even for performing deeds for the good of the public. No one but government has itself to blame in this regard.

One example of this is when Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Ijaz Nisar inaugurated a three-day anti-polio campaign at Children’s Hospital.

The arrival of the chief minister proved a real nightmare for the people who came to the hospital seeking treatment for their sick children.

On Monday (January 21), security personnel cordoned off the hospital two hours prior to the chief minister’s arrival. He arrived there one day ahead to launch the scheduled three-day anti-polio campaign (from January 22, 23 to 24th). The chief minister was scheduled to administer polio drops to children to kick-off the campaign.

The security measure in fact caused people to face great deal of hardships to have required treatment for their seriously ailing children in the hospital.

The security officials and hospital’s staff treated people roughly, pushing and abusing them to stay away from the route of the chief minister. The people, entering the hospital were welcomed with rude and rough treatment and had a difficult time while parking their cars and motorbikes far away from the actual parking stands in the hospital.

The entire administration and almost 50 per cent of the hospital’s staff was deputed at the OPD ward to receive the chief minister,

In the meantime, patients admitted to various wards suffered. The OPD ward was completely closed for the public for the day.

This correspondent witnessed terrible scenes of sufferings behind a beautifully and colourfully crafted stage for the reception of the chief minister with a select gathering of children to be administered anti-polio doses. Most of the doors and ways, leading to Emergency ward and OPD ward in the hospital, were closed, while all the elevators were shutdown too. This caused great inconvenience to the people and their ailing children.

Staff deputed at t he OPD ward was also shifted to the second floor of the hospital, which indeed caused a great deal of problem for the people. As the elevators were stopped, patients and their attendants seeking required treatment or routine vaccination for the newborns were forced to use the only stairway to reach the second floor.

The stairway was so overcrowded that even health and young people had difficulties reaching required places for treatment, not to speak of elderly people and mothers of newborns who had to go through a painful process. The people were literally, without any exaggeration, hurling abuses and curses launch of the anti-polio drive, which otherwise meant good of the people in the larger context.

How unfortunate are the rulers that they get slander from the people even performing noble tasks such as launching an anti-polio campaign.

The people had to wait in long queues to seek treatment due to shortage of doctors and other staff, who were actually present in OPD ward for the reception to the chief minister. Besides, the patients and their attendants had to take a complete round of the huge hospital in order to reach from one place to another place within the hospital, thanks to the closed doors everywhere. Many people returned back to their homes without seeking treatment, which enhanced the load of patients in the hospital on the following days.

The doctors and other staff were also worried about the situation, which according to them, happened almost every month due to the arrival of some dignitary to the hospital. They were also fed up with the task assigned to them i.e. to warmly welcome the chief guest in the hospital. The arrival of government’s top functionaries also created a fear of terrorist attack among the doctors and staff there. Many other people in the hospital viewed that it was always better to keep away from government’s dignitaries to save their lives due to any possible attack on them.

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Tags: polio, Punjab