K L Desk
After the passing of more than two months, family and friends of Muddasir Ali, a prominent journalist of Kashmir who died because of the negligence of a doctor and callous health administration, are awaiting for justice.
Ali, who was associated with Greater Kashmir and freelanced for several national and international publications including The Wire, died on November 20 at Charar-e-Sharief sub-district hospital (SDH) in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district after the doctor on duty at the time failed to provide him basic life support.
He was the second journalist who died of cardiac arrest in two months. Javaid Ahmad, 28, who was working as a correspondent with a local English daily Rising Kashmir, died after suffering a heart attack in the Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on October 1.
Ahmad of Watergam-Rafiabad Baramulla district was on his way to Srinagar when he suddenly developed chest pain near Pattan. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
The demise of both the journalists has been widely condoled across J&K as well as India’s journalist fraternity.
However, after the consistent demands of the journalists to probe their death, the Health Department last month initiated an inquiry into Muddasir’s death.
However, earlier this month the inquiry committee ruled out any negligence in his death while pointing out all the missing facilities at the health center to treat heart attack patients.
The five-member inquiry committee said everything was missing in the health center that could have saved Ali’s life but it didn’t fix responsibility.
Alis’ younger brother, Jehangir Ali on Health Department’s inquiry report said, “Although the SDH Chrari Sharief administrator has been found responsible for ‘inaccessibility of life-saving drugs and equipment’ at the hospital on the day of Mudasir’s demise, she has been continuing, all along, to enjoy her perks and privileges, and the government seems happy about placing more patients at risk by allowing her to go unpunished.”
Jehangir said he was hoping the inquiry committee probing the death of his brother would take a dispassionate view of the circumstances under which he died at Chrari Sharief SDH on November 20. “I was wrong,” he said.
“The SDH Chrari Sharief administrator and the Health Department denied Mudasir his rightful chance to weather the storm coming his way. His right to a protocol-based treatment was trampled by the same people who were supposed to save him! Forget treatment, that a patient in respiratory distress was not provided simple oxygen supply for at least 20 minutes at a Sub District Hospital for which the government spends crores of rupees annually, should have alone shocked the committee members,” Jehangir said.
“Instead, the five members have conspired to resort to brazen lies and canards against our family to cover up their intentional blunders and, as many friends have suggested, to clinch favors and, perhaps, a posting of their choice in coming days,” he said.
He said, “Yesterday, it was my brother who was betrayed. Tomorrow, it will be yours. Speak out against these cruel injustices because silence is not an option. Speak up. Demand what is rightfully yours. I support this demand of the friends and colleagues of Mudasir: an independent probe to find out why, in this 21st century, a preventable death could not be stopped at a sub-district hospital which gets billions of public exchequer’s monies.”
Jehangir said the inquiry report was an attempt to whitewash the crimes of the Health Department, the SDH Chrari Sharief, and the other staff.
“Instead of coming out with facts, the committee has pushed half-baked inferences which shows incompetence,” he said.
Ali’s family and journalists are exploring options to take a legal course against the health department.
“To set the record straight, we are exploring all our options. For the larger public good, we will not rest unless the culprits are punished and the system performs when it is called upon to perform,” he said.
Already, Kashmir Working Journalists Association (KWJA) has rejected the inquiry report of the Health Department into the death of senior journalist Mudasir Ali as “misleading and wanting in facts”.
A KWJA statement said the report “appears to be a cover-up for the negligence and shortcomings of the Health Department and its staff rather than an exercise in understanding the facts of the case”.
While Mudasir Ali was denied access to oxygen and other lifesaving drugs at the SDH Chrar-i-Sharief on November 20, the inquiry report, KWJA said, seeks to shift the blame of losing the golden hour towards the family.
“The inquiry report is an attempt to cover up the negligence of the doctor, the administrator of SDH Chrari Sharief, and the Health Department who collectively and miserably failed to save Mudasir Ali’s life on that fateful night,” said KWJA General Secretary Samaan Lateef.
Lateef said the inquiry committee has claimed Mudasir Ali started developing symptoms at around 11:30 p.m, while the fact remains that he was in touch with his colleagues at Greater Kashmir until around 12:30 a.m.
He said that Muddasir Ali even asked his mother to stay back a little longer in his room until he went to sleep at around 1:00 a.m. when he was yet to complain of any problems.
KWJA demanded the inquiry committee to explain how it has concluded that Muddasir Ali developed symptoms at 11:30 p.m. “KWJA is shocked at the committee’s attempt to falsely blame Mudasir’s family for the loss of ‘golden hour’ while seeking to give clean chit to the Health Department, ” it said.
The committee report says that “all the required gadgets, drugs and equipment needed to manage critical cases at SDH level including stretchers and wheelchairs were found to be available, in plenty and functional” at Chrari Sharief SDH.
However, the report does not explain why the facilities were inaccessible to the patient on that fateful night. “It is a clear admission of lapses but the committee has failed to fix the responsibility,” KWJA said.
The KWJA said it will continue to press for fixation of responsibility in the case and would challenge the report at an appropriate forum.
Meanwhile, it asks the government to initiate an independent probe into the death of Mudasir Ali preferably by a committee independent of the Health department officials.
The inquiry committee has also recommended that the staff at sub-district hospitals should be trained in basic life support/ATLS so that they are better equipped to deal with cardiac emergencies.”
“I take this opportunity to suggest the Health Department notify a day in a calendar when such training sessions/seminars are organized across all the hospitals and it would be a fitting tribute to my brother if that day is named after him. Regardless, the committee’s report on the circumstances leading to the demise of Mudasir seems hogwash, a concoction of lies and prevarications, a brazen attempt to cover up the negligence of the doctor, the administrator of SDH Chrari Sharief, and the Health Department who collectively and miserably failed to save human life on that fateful night,” said Jehangir.
“The committee has claimed Mudasir started developing symptoms at around 11:30 am when he was in touch with his colleagues at Greater Kashmir till around 12:30 am. He even asked the mother to stay back a little longer in his room till he went to sleep peacefully at around 1 am.“
“How has the committee concluded that he developed symptoms at 11:30 pm? It is a figment of the poor image of the doctors who have prepared the report. We will take them to task for dishonoring us by manufacturing lies to save their colleagues and the department. “
“By falsely blaming our family for the loss of ‘golden hour’, the health department may have given itself a clean chit. But it doesn’t absolve the department from the responsibility of failing to save my brother’s life. We will see to it that the culprits are punished.”
“Even though more than 40 days have passed since Mudasir departed to a better world, the Health Department, despite my repeated requests, has not provided us his admission card at SDH Chrari Sharief which the committee claims to have examined.”
“Since the card contains details of the treatment given to Mudasir when we brought him to the hospital, I have every reason to believe now that it has been fudged, concocted, or fabricated by the administrator of the hospital to save herself and the department,” says Jehangir.
“After all, why wasn’t it handed over to us when we took Mudasir to SMHS hospital? If we were immersed in grief, why wasn’t it given to the staff of the ambulance that took us to SMHS? Besides, my questions to the committee which, for obvious reasons, seem to have relied heavily on the statement of their colleagues at SDH Hospital, remain unanswered. If a stretcher was available at the hospital, why wasn’t it provided to us, despite my pleas? What forced the doctor to lift Mudasir in his arms if there was sufficient staff at the hospital as per the committee report?,” ask Jehangir.
“If the oxygen was not available in the emergency room, despite being available in the hospital as per the committee report, who is responsible for this lapse? If there were 4-5 staff on night duty at the hospital in November, why were we left to cry for help when Mudasir collapsed in the corridor after the doctor told us to take the stairs to the general ward so that he could start the treatment there? That this probe is a cover-up to save the Health Department, the administrator of SDH Chrari Sharief, and other staff, can be gauged from the fact that the committee members have believed the version of the doctor that he couldn’t fall asleep since he had treated a patient “15-20 minutes before” we arrived,” he says.
“The committee members are challenging their wisdom, their learning, and indeed the foundation of science itself by believing this lie. Who says a human being can’t fall asleep in 15-20 minutes? “
“On one hand, the committee’s report says that “all the required gadgets, drugs and equipment needed to manage critical cases at SDH level including stretchers and wheelchairs were found to be available, in plenty and functional” at Chrari Sharief SDH but that they were “inaccessible” on the fateful night (a clear admission of lapses) and that the administrator should be held “accountable”? “ “This is a clear admission of the negligence of the health department for which they must be made to pay. Even though the report is out, we yet don’t know what action has been taken against the BMO? Does she continue to enjoy her privileges? “
“Victim-blaming has been the hallmark of our investigation agencies. Now, the health department has done a great job at aping this trait to save itself from the responsibility of killing my brother, even if it means that more human lives, more Mudasirs, continue to perish at places where they are supposed to be saved, while the perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity,” he adds.
Jehangir said, “We reject this report. We reject the claims made by the committee members and we will challenge their concoction of lies and fabrications at an appropriate forum. We are in touch with our friends and well-wishers to decide on the future course of action.”