Corridors of Power: Coimbatore hospital Dean speaks up

Whenever the AIADMK comes to power, officials, especially those in the higher rungs of bureaucracy, tend to become tight-lipped.

This is the case with even those known to be media-friendly. When press meets by officials have become few and far between, it is rare to find an officer speaking up on controversial issues.  However, this was precisely what Coimbatore Medical College Hospital Dean S. Revwathy did.  

As she addressed a press meet recently to discuss a rare surgery performed at the hospital, a journalist asked her about reports of patients being forcibly discharged, and their sleeping on the pavements outside. Instead of adopting a standard response of “I’ll look into the issue and get back,” she said the reporter had failed to verify the facts.

An inquiry later found that the person in question was a drifter who had never been admitted to the hospital; he just used to sleep on the pavements. 

“We, doctors, are not heartless people. We are also compassionate. Perhaps, reporters must take the time out to cross-check facts before publishing them,” she added.