At times, government hospitals become easy targets not just for annoyed relatives but also mediapersons. Last week, the death of a 42-year-old man sparked tension at a GH as his family alleged he died after ventilator support was cut off following a power interruption. Though doctors explained he died due to a severe head injury, his family remained unconvinced. Somehow, several lensmen and reporters landed there.
One television crew went so far as to report from the spot that the hospital lacked facilities and several patients were not treated properly. A few others said that many more were in a serious condition at the neuro intensive care unit following the power cut. The deceased man’s father told this reporter that he was tired of talking to all the television channels. On hearing the news, the father of a youth, who succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident a week before, arrived at the spot, alleging poor treatment. What was shocking is that he was immediately picked up by a television channel for a sound byte.
A duty-conscious team of traffic policemen on a tow vehicle promptly placed a clamp on a lone car parked outside Khadi Bhavan on a lean Sunday afternoon, when there was no traffic snarl or any other vehicle in sight. A shocked owner of the car reached the spot and offered to pay the fine. It was then that the trouble began.
The policemen were unable to remove the clamp as a padlock binding the two aluminium levers of the clamp was jammed. They took help from a mobile juice vendor, an autorickshaw driver, motorists and also the car owner to break down the padlock and remove the clamp. The policemen were polite enough not collect the fine.
Recently, customers at a small eating joint at Anna Nagar experienced the awkward sensation of being watched as they sipped their usual cup of coffee. And as soon as they took the last sip, the shiny brass tumblers were whisked away. Baffled at the treatment, some curious customers enquired about the reason. Staff members went on to explain that hot beverages were offered in brass tumblers to attract customers. To their dismay, 30 new tumblers disappeared within a month. As a last resort, they had to deploy some waiters to keep an eye on the brass.
(Reporting by Serena Josephine M., K. Manikandan and K. Lakshmi)
