Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Rude and Animal like behavior of Maldivian people towards Doctors.


The Rude and Animal like behavior of Maldivian people towards Doctors.

Stories are coming from different corners of Maldives and I will refer to places now by their real name as I am getting free of worries lately (my contract is finishing up very soon now).

1.  Current news for all the doctors around the world who are interested in coming to Maldives for working purpose:
At the moment (on 20th of February’2011 at 05:08pm) a male doctor is in ICU in Male’, badly beaten up by locals.
Reason: He was posted on an island ‘Feyadhoo’ in Seenu Atoll in the south most of Maldives. After completion of his 1 year’s contract he was scheduled to leave as he didn’t want to continue his service here (usually no one wants to). Before leaving the island he of course left his room, packed his things and was leaving, when suddenly his landlord (where he had hired a room to live as now ministry is not hiring any accommodation for us) came up with complain that he was leaving his room dirty and he should clean before he leaves. We (my group which is holding this blog up consists of 56 doctors now) believe (doctor is not in a state to talk or I would have narrated the story word by word here) that he declined this as he was already leaving. The landlord in return beaten him up in front of locals on the jetty where the doctor was scheduled to catch his boat. Health Center staff was gathered there but in front of local guys even the expatriate nurses (other staff is Maldivian only) could not intervene. The doctor got some blunt injuries over back and thigh & a CLW over face. By this time the boat had come, so, he left the island in this very state.
Upon his arrival in Male’ (he had to catch a plane in between so it must have taken a few hours to reach Male’) there were some guys waiting for him on the Airport Jetty where the passengers coming to Male’ dock from airport, and these guys beaten him up like an animal to the limit that he is now admitted in ICU in a hospital in Male’. This is the occurrence of a day before yesterday
No matter how good or bad the doctor was or is, is this the manner to behave? I am trying to locate him. The ministry people have not filed any complain against anyone (usual reaction) and switched off his phone. I sincerely doubt that they will let the IGMH (Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Male’) people disclose his whereabouts before they send him back to India.
We all are very much alert and a little scared too.
  
2.  There is an island by the name of ‘KELA‘ in Haa Alif atoll of Maldives. There, a few months back the posted doctor was beaten up to bleed by lacerations and 4 deep cut injuries on face and upper trunk. This beating was done by the Incharge (CHW, the Community Health Worker) of the health centre as the doctor was not explaining his writing over the prescriptions to him properly. The  CHW was ridiculously asking about why did you write down C/O (Complaining of) or CC (Chief Complains)  and one day the doctor told him that as the CHW was not a doctor, so he can not explain everything to him. That’s all.
The CHW is a relative of one of the hooligans of the island who happens to be a minister in current Maldivian government.  So, he beaten this doctor up and sent him to Male’ after 1 day’s delay so that primary suturing could not be done on the wounds/CLWs  and scars would be more evident afterward and they will remind him of this beating and make him more obedient towards the Maldivian authorities. This he himself told to the doctor on face. That doctor was afterward advised not to lodge a police complaint as there could be more disastrous results after that and left Maldives after midway of his recovery period. The MOH paid him all the dues and relieved immediately out of the contract.

3.  Now, naturally there was some other doctor going to come at that place eventually. So, the day came and another doctor came to the same health center. Within 6 months that CHW was not able to tolerate even him and they both got engaged in similar kind of conversations again and again. This time fortunately though, he did not beat the doctor up as the doctor was a muslim this time (earlier one was a Hindu by religion who was beaten to bleed. This religion bias is evident throughout Maldives.). But the CHW started seeing the patients himself, prescribing drugs and writing below prescription ‘seen by Dr. so & so’ and signing it. The doctor saw these prescriptions and naturally asked him why the hell he was doing such a thing.
Their friction grew of course and eventually the CHW (a.k.a. manager) reported the ministry about the doctor being incompetent in treating patients. The doctor was duly summoned to Male’ and sent to the department of Medicine at I.G.M.H. Male’. The eventually cleared him and the doctor was posted to an atoll hospital (GA Atoll Hospital, Villingili) afterward where at the moment he is finishing up his remaining time of the contract. His confidence totally shaken up to the limits that he upon seeing other doctors (anytime, any day)asks about only one thing ‘did anybody complain about him about any patient’. This is the result of his tenure at that mad place. But at least he was not beaten to bleed like the previous one.

4.  There is an ongoing instance (I will not reveal the name of the Hospital, or they may find my informer and punish him unnecessarily) at a hospital about a Gynecologist. He is a male and may or may not be a popular one among the natives.
The thing is, that there is a woman over the island who is producing children without being married to anyone. Her 8th gestation just now resulted in delivery of a healthy baby a few days back. The Gynecologist suggested the lady that why not she opts tubal ligation as she is not stopping sleeping with men anyway, not protecting herself as well and hence getting pregnant again and again since last 12 years. She is a very very fussy character. Her all family members liked the idea and made her agree to it as it was a matter of open disgrace for them as well. So, a date was decided to carry out this small procedure.
Now, one of the local nurses came to know about it (the idea of tubal ligation being suggested to this lady and eventually being accepted by her) while she was on duty (and this lady was still admitted post delivery in the Gynae wards ) and she decided that she should complain to the Islamic group over the island about it.
They were hastily informed and the council of those brilliant people suggested that the hands of all the people taking part in that procedure (doctor & nurses who are expatriates only) should be cut from above wrist to penalize them (in case this procedure is really taken up the next day) so that they could not spoil a Muslim woman like this, making her unable to bear children in future. As in their view Islam says that the basic right of a woman is to be able to bear children and it can not be violated. No matter that she is producing bastard children on a regular basis. Actually in Maldives it is not a matter of concern anyway. The Government even protects such women. As there is no actual constitution in force here, everything is ok.
This Gynecologist and the crew of staff nurses were so shaken up by this occurrence that they all were rubbing their wrists for a few days. Now the management is trying to take this Gynecologist out of the island secretly. Until yesterday, the official police case was not launched against him, so they are still waiting. If a case will be launched by the Islamic society, most probably the local Healthcare management will send the doctor to India as soon as possible.

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