Unique way of ‘warning’ a doctor!

Although the Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) authorities may choose to term its action against a physician of the hospital as a "warning" to him, many would see his transfer from CMCH to a Rangamati hospital as more of a punishment.

The issue originated when our cricket team captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who happens to be the local lawmaker also, visited Narail Sadar Hospital on April 24. He took exception to the fact that four doctors were absent from duty and spoke to one of the absentee doctors on telephone which went viral. Some doctors took umbrage in the language that Mashrafe used in talking to the doctor which prompted the "warned" doctor to pass comments on his Facebook page in unparliamentary language.

We wonder whether good sense has taken leave of us. The matter smacks of uncivility in our use of words and lack of sobriety in public discourse and mutual interaction. We believe that Mashrafe was justified as the representative of the local people to express his displeasure at the absence of the doctors but might have been more temperate while expressing his mind. And in reacting to the MP's comments, the choice of words of the said doctor, we feel, could have been far more refined.

However, do the doctor's comments merit the action that the hospital administration has taken against him? Many would see his transfer from CMCH to a Rangamati hospital to be a punishment. We believe the CMCH decision would put the patients more at a distress than anyone else because the doctor in question happens to be a paediatric oncologist, one of the only three in this country. And he has been posted to a hospital where cancer treatment facilities do not exist. Doctors like him are a rare commodity in this country, and keeping a specialist doctor unutilised will affect patients seriously. We believe there could be other ways of reproaching the said doctor.

We plead for restoration of civility in public discourse and a bit more circumspection in administrative decision making.