Security and the CM

We all know death at hospitals is sometimes inevitable. Not every life can be saved; not every patient survives. But it is unforgivable when protocol for VIPs takes precedence over the welfare of ordinary people. This, complains a father, is what happened when he took his infant son to the Children’s Hospital in Lahore. Security measures put in place for the visit to the facility by the Punjab chief minister apparently prevented the man from taking his child to doctors. In its defence, the hospital’s administration said that the infant was prematurely born and brought in a near-death state and that care was given. An inquiry has been ordered. Like others before it, it is far from certain that it will lead anywhere at all.

This is not the first time the presence of VIPs at hospitals has put others at risk. A few weeks ago, patients at another Lahore hospital where a politician was being treated had stated their faced grave inconvenience due to regular visits by other top guns. These reports reflect the VIP culture that has become a hallmark of our society. We hear too of cases in which the screeching convoys of politicians have knocked over pedestrians or other commuters. Quite frankly, if our politicians are unable to ensure their visit to a hospital will not hamper the working of the facility, they should not make a trip at all. This is the very least they can do to show they care for others. Mr Shahbaz Sharif projects himself as a man of the people. He likes to say he is not fond of the trappings of office. We wait to see what findings emerge from his orders to investigate the incident. The suspension of an official or two will not do. What we need is a policy that either keeps VIPs put of hospitals or compels them to follow the rules laid down to guarantee that here at least the lives of those who are sick come first, even if they do not rank among the privileged of our land.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2010.