sreedharan_ck

     The entire world is facing a worst healthcare crisis of COVID-19 as never before. The pandemic has already accounted for tens of thousands of deaths and is expected to affect more. While a large number of health care providers have risen to the occasion and extending a yeomen selfless service to the victims, there are several cruel, insensitive private health institutions in the country which have exploited the pandemic for profiteering at the cost of the hapless patients. Some unscrupulous private healthcare institutions are fleecing the patients by considering the outbreak as a one time business opportunity.       In connection with the above unfair practice, I would like to mention four specific cases, which were reported on social media: 1.       A 60 year old was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi with Covid-19 in April. After about 30 days of hospitalization, the family received a whopping bill of...

Transparency International has rated India as the 80 least corrupt nations out of 180 countries (also called as Corruption Perception Index) for the year 2019. W ith a score of 41, India is at the 80th spot. The rank is also shared by China, Benin, Ghana and Morocco.  Corruption is present in Indian society from time immemorial. Indian history is replete with innumerable instances of people being bribed or influenced to turn into traitors. Several kings were dethroned; kingdoms were ruined and battles were lost due to the lure of money. Indian society has accepted corruption as a way of life and bribery as a shrewd strategy. Corruption in India is systemic and is well anchored.   The corruption monster has engulfed practically every activity and has become almost uncontrollable. Corruption has taken many forms. For simple understanding it can be classified into three categories- political, corporate and individual. Political corruption is where those in power swindle ...

It is common for Indian politicians, cutting across political parties to splurge precious resources to build monuments to further their political careers at the cost of the hapless needy poor. ‘In the absence of affordable accommodation, the poorest of poor patients taking treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel, Mumbai have made the space under Hindmata bridge their home. The Hindmata flyover is almost like a post-operative ward of Tata Memorial,’ Mumbai Mirror reported prominently on 15 January, 2020. Tata Memorial, one of the largest cancer treatment institutes in India, gets 65,000 new cancer patients every year and another 4,50,000 for follow ups. As per Dr. Shripad Banavali, director, academics and professor of paediatric and medical oncology, Tata Memorial, over 80 percent of the hospital’s patients are from states other than Maharashtra and nearly all of them are poor. Dr. Banavali also said that with the support of various organizations and generous donors t...

16 January, 2020 Regulating the regulators On 11 January, 2020 at least 8 persons were killed and several others were injured, six of them grievously, due to a massive blast that occurred at ANK Pharma, MIDC, Boisar, 100 km from Mumbai. The factory manufactured ammonium nitrate, an explosive and a combustible substance used to produce fertilizer. The disturbing fact is, though there were four regulatory authorities- special planning authority under MIDC, labour department, MIDC fire department and Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, to implement the guidelines related to industrial safety and labour norms as per Factory Act, 1948, this worst accident happened. Major accidents keep happening at alarming intervals, not only in Maharashtra but also in other states. As per Labour and Employment Ministry, everyday 47 factory workers are injured and 3 die in accidents. In three years, 2014 to 2016, 3562 workers lost their lives and 51,124 were injured in accidents that...

The murder of ISO: 9001 in India ISO 9001 series of standards are developed by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to facilitate the organizations to become more efficient and to improve customer satisfaction.  The ISO 9001 standard was first introduced in 1987 and subsequently revised several times over a period of time (revised in 1994, 2000, 2008 and 2015). If an organization is certified to ISO: 9001, then it means that it has met the requirements specified in the ISO 9001 standard. This means that the organization has implemented and is following a quality management system that is appropriate and effective. The organization is expected to identify improvement areas continually and take necessary actions to achieve them. When an organization claims itself as an ISO 9001 certified company, it is expected that its products and services are of good and consistent quality. As per the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), in India...