Monday Musings: Sassoon’s doctors, nurses deserve our applause

Credible voices in the medical fraternity are unanimous that Dr Ajay Chandanwale’s abrupt removal as dean of Sassoon General Hospital was wrong

The abrupt removal of a popular General from the midst of a raging war demands close scrutiny.

The medical staff of Sassoon hospital wore black bands on their arms while continuing to treat patients as a mark of protest on Saturday. They are protesting against abrupt transfer of former dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale. (HT PHOTO)

What were the extraordinary reasons for the sudden removal of Dr Ajay Chandanwale as the dean of BJ Medical College – Sassoon General Hospital last week? After all, he was at the forefront of Pune’s response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, with our city being one of the hotspots.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been repeatedly saying that we need to applaud our doctors, nurses and other health workers for fighting on the frontlines, and not demoralise them in any way. It is our health workers-- and not the politicians and bureaucrats-- who are the backbone of India’s war against the coronavirus.

If something was seriously amiss in Dr Chandanwale’s leadership, then, certainly, an inquiry should have been instituted and appropriate action taken after the pandemic was brought under control- not in the midst of the battle.

Predictably, a large section of the rank and file of Sassoon Hospital protested publicly against Dr Chandanwale’s removal. They met Pune divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar to register their protest and demanded the reinstatement of Dr Chandanwale. The next day they worked with black bands.

At least one senior doctor and four nurses from Sassoon have tested positive and are in quarantine. The nurses and lower health staff have been demanding safer working conditions and this is the reality of all government hospitals across the country.

As is well-known, the completion of Sassoon Hospital’s new 11-storeyed building was delayed by the public works department (PWD) for almost nine years. Once the coronavirus pandemic hit Pune, it was hurriedly made operational with intensive care unit (ICU) facilities and isolation beds in a matter of two-three weeks.

Credible voices in the medical fraternity are unanimous that Dr Chandanwle’s abrupt removal was wrong. Politicians, such as the senior city Congressman Arvind Shinde, have blamed the former dean for the high number of Covid-19 deaths at Sassoon, and other alleged acts of mismanagement. Indeed, as of April 18, 42 of the total 51 Covid-19 deaths in Pune, did occur at Sassoon. As Dr Chandanwale and the Sassoon administration explained, the biggest reason for these deaths was late admissions and high co-morbidity. The political-bureaucratic bosses chose to blame the former Sassoon dean for this rather than examine and address the delay in admissions and rectify the weak links in the ‘referral chain’ of Covid-19 patients.

Is this a case of fire happening somewhere and the fire fighting happening somewhere else? We will know in a matter of just a few weeks from now. Watch this space.

abhay.vaidya@hindustantimes.com