Date:16/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/16/stories/2006061603391000.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Worrying

This refers to the report "Charges absurd, says Apollo Chairman" (June 15) on the allegation that the hospital tampered with evidence in the Rahul Mahajan case. The development is worrying. What has happened to Apollo Hospital can happen to any hospital tomorrow! When an unconscious patient is brought into a hospital in the middle of the night, doctors attending to him face many challenges.

The most challenging task is to save the life of the patient, with the little information available. There is very little time to write a detailed and methodical case record and wait for the results of complicated investigations requested. It is purely on the basis of clinical wisdom of the attending physician that orders are carried out. Given such circumstances, the trend of targeting hospitals and medical professionals is cause for concern. Why should medical institutions be targeted whenever a VIP is admitted?

E. Prabhu,
Chennai

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"In an emergency situation, administrative details are secondary to saving lives ... " says Dr. C. Pratap Reddy. Do hospitals actually walk their talk in the case of a common man?

V.S. Hariharan,
Chennai