A 37-year-old journalist, undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), allegedly killed himself in Delhi on Monday. He allegedly lept from the fourth floor of this hospital. The father of two young children was rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) but unfortunately succumbed to the injuries from the fatal fall.

The hospital was quick to issue an official statement by Monday evening, about the incident that took place at around 2 P.M. The journalist was identified as Tarun Sisodia, who was a reporter with the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, and was living in  Bhajanpura in Northeast Delhi.

Till late on Monday, media whatsapp groups in the city were trying to make sense of this tragedy, the first of its kind for the fraternity, perhaps since the lockdown fuelled hundreds of job losses for journalists across the country. Tarun Sisodiya too was said to be under a lot of stress, even as he was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at AIIMS. 

However, there may be more to the death, and the Union Health Minister too has ordered a probe and set up a high level inquiry committee comprising the AIIMS’ Chief of Neuroscience Centre, Prof Padma, Head of Psychiatry Dept, Prof RK Chaddha, Dy Dir (Admin) Sh Panda & Head, Physical Medicine & Rehab Dr U Singh.

The inquiry committee consists of Chief of Neuroscience Centre,Prof Padma,Head of Psychiatry Dept Prof RK Chaddha,Dy Dir(Admn) Sh Panda & Head, Physical Medicine & Rehab Dr U Singh.

My deep condolences to media community that is shaken by the tragic loss of an esteemed colleague

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) July 6, 2020

It is noteworthy that AIIMS had issued a statement detailing the sequence of events that ended in the tragedy. According to AIIMS, Sisodiya “ran out of his room on Monday afternoon” and attendants went after him, tried to stop him but he ran to the fourth floor where he “broke the windowpane and jumped out.”

Sisodiya was recovering well from Covid-19, but the hospital noted that he was suffering from bouts of disorientation for which he was seen by a neurologist and psychiatrist and put on medication.

“Mr Tarun Sisodiya, 37, was admitted to JPNATC on June 24 with Covid-19. He was making significant recovery from his Covid symptoms. He was stable on room air today and was planned for shifting to the general ward from the ICU,” the hospital stated.

“While he was in JPNATC for treatment of Covid-19, he was having bouts of disorientation for which he was seen by a neurologist and psychiatrist and put on medication. The family members were regularly counselled regarding his condition,” stated AIIMS.

“Tarun ran out of his room on Monday afternoon. Attendants ran after him and tried to stop him but he ran to the fourth floor where he broke the windowpane and jumped out,” the hospital added. No details were given how a just out of the ICU patient outran the attendants, reached another floor. 

A group of senior journalists have written to seek an inquiry into this unnatural death, as they too want to know if there was  a possibility that Tarun Sisodia may have been subjected to harassment by his employer.  “Prima facie, this suggests a possibility of negligence at the level of the hospital and potential harassment by the employer as contributory factors in his untimely demise.  A comprehensive inquiry which will examine all these aspects by an appropriate authority is necessary to ensure that such unfortunate incidents are not repeated again,” stated the journalists. They have also asked that measures be taken “so that the potentially adverse financial implications to his family are addressed”.

The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) too has written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to bring to his notice that Tarun Sisodia had feared that he would be attacked. Before he was unwell, he had been on active reporting duty. “Various questions are being raised about his own physical health as well as the controversial stories he wrote on Delhi’s health preparedness to fight Covid-19 and his allegations that someone was out to get him,” stated the DUJ. 

The union has also raised questions about the possibility of “various pressures operating on him including the looming fear of losing his job during this lockdown.” The DUJ has been raising the issue regularly as hundreds of journalists have lost their jobs overnight. Media house owners have unleashed “large scale illegal sacking of journalists and other newspaper employees in Delhi during the lockdown” and sackings have also been reported from other states with a large number of media job losses  being reported from Maharashtra as well. “We fear that more journalists will soon lose their jobs, leaving them and their families in jeopardy. Unfortunately your Labour Department has taken no action on this urgent matter,” stated the DUJ. 

It has asked the CM to appoint an inquiry committee to look into Tarun Sisodia’s  death “and the multiple issues it raises including his employment status.” The union has also requested that Sisodia’s family be granted an ex gratia amount  from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Sisodia leaves behind a young wife, a toddler and a few-months-old baby. 

Journalists have revealed that Tarun Sisodia had shared his fears of being killed in a whatsapp conversation with his colleagues.

“AIIMS statement on Tarun Sisodia’s death and his whatsapp message in a group few days ago that he could be murdered  #JusticeForTarunSisodia 

Truth needs to be investigated”

AIIMS statement on Tarun Sisodia’s death and his whatsaap message in a group few days ago that he could be murdered #JusticeForTarunSisodia
Truth needs to be investigated . pic.twitter.com/2qkuy0a3yF

— Mausami Singh/मौसमी लखनवी (@mausamii2u) July 6, 2020

The post Inquiry demanded to probe journalist’s death at AIIMS appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Doctors and nurses at the country’s flagship All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are closely monitoring the supply of Protective Equipment (PPE) available to them as they prepare to take care COVID19 patients. As cases suspected of CoronaVirus-19 infection may increase in the following week, with increased testing, the staff at AIIMS does not want to be caught in a situation where the run out of essential protective gear that includes facemasks, eye shields, gloves, gowns and shoe covers if there is a deluge of patients in the coming weeks.

The resident Doctors Association of AIIMS had flagged this issue weeks ago and continues to monitor the daily supply carefully. “We flagged this ahead and want to prepare. We are making efforts before any shortage arises. This is the case nationwide. There are shortages even in developed countries,” We are putting pressure on all stakeholders,” said Dr Srinivas, general secretary, Resident Doctors Association (RDA) at AIIMS.

According to the resident doctors they are also buying masks and sanitizers to use when they are commuting to work, or are taking care of patients in the Outpatient Departments (OPDs). A doctor said that many are doing this voluntarily to prevent any cross contamination. Doctors posted in critical care units have access to the hospital supply of PPE but not those working in the OPD. “When we commute to and fro from work, we have to be extra careful. Many of us are buying our own masks to use at this time when we are outside the wards.” said a nurse.

According to Dr Srinivas, the AIIMS RDA should be seen as a stakeholder in this effort to combat the pandemic. The association is also making efforts to raise funds, and encourage public sector undertakings (PSUs) and corporates to pitch in with funds as well. “Many are stepping up. We will send updates soon,” said Dr Srinivas. 

The maximum retail price (MRP) capping on sanitisers masks and other PPE has already been breached even though the government has issued strict warnings against doing so. In the market a Rs 10 mask is selling for many times the price, most chemists have simply said they have run out of stock and only have the more expensive masks. 

“The price breach is a problem for the administration too. We do not have so many cases yet, and AIIMS is not overwhelmed yet, but we need to be well prepared in advance,” asserted Dr Srinivas. The hospital will get over 20,000 masks today, but still needs lakhs more.

Dr Adarsh Pratap Singh, President of RDA had raised the issue of inadequacy in his letter to the Director, Dr Randeep Guleria. After inspecting various wards, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) had written to Director Randeep Guleria on March 16, updating him about inadequate PPEs available to their colleagues. “A team of RDA executives inspected various wards to check the supply of PPE in the critical time of COVID19 and sadly most of the wards do not have adequate universal precautionary components. We request the administration to take prompt action to ensure PPE availability around the clock for the safety of doctors and nurses,” they wrote. 

The letter may be viewed here: 

According to AIIMS doctors, they want to be well prepared so no one is exposed while meeting, and caring for suspected COVID-19 cases. Many doctors and nurses have been buying their own stock of masks and sanitisers as well. 

Business Standard reports that doctors of the microbiology department have made hand sanitisers and face shields (masks) in their laboratory to combat shortfall. Dr Purva Mathur, professor of laboratory medicine and the incharge of infection control department at AIIMS, Delhi has taken this initiative after holding a discussion with the hospital administration. “At AIIMS, we cannot take any chance. PPE has been provided by the administration, but these are not enough. So, we have to make other suitable alternatives. Apart from makeshift plastic face masks which can cover the entire face, we have also prepared alcohol-based hand sanitizers as per the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). And it is always good to be fully prepared,” a senior doctor from the department of infection control told Business Standard. 

The doctors do not want mere applause but need real time action to ensure the situation does not get to a level when the healthcare givers themselves become infected with Covid-19. The RDA is yet to get an official response to their letter, but says it is important to monitor and raise the issue regularly. 

Related:

Lives of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in the times of Corona

Covid-19 Update: Delhi under lockdown, Mumbai lockdown extended

Covid-19: West Bengal goes under lockdown from 5 PM today

Covid-19: Maha Labour Commissioner forbids organisations from firing, reducing wages of workers 

The post Doctors need more protective gear now, before COVID-19 cases explode appeared first on SabrangIndia.

But some staff members of AIIMS decided to mark their protest at this event. The previous day, the Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they would observe this event as a “black day”.

Why did the doctors of AIIMS to protest? And why should it matter to the people of Delhi?

For those who have been closely following the two cases in the Delhi high court on East Kidwai Nagar (EKN) and the seven government housing colonies, “redevelopment” would suffice as the one-word answer to the aforementioned questions. This word has come to signify the worst of environmental and urban planning and governance and public loot by government agencies.

It strikes fear and anger in the hearts of citizens who deal with the air, water, housing and traffic crises in Delhi on a daily basis. The projects involve the  commercialisation  and privatisation of high-value public lands, the loss of urban ecology and heritage and an increased burden on public infrastructures like roads and groundwater.

Project documents such as the MoU, the cabinet papers and approval letters reveal the extent of collusion between NBCC – the project proponent of EKN – and 7 GPRA and Central government agencies, expert bodies, consultants and senior MPs in pushing through these projects. Both projects, costing over Rs 37,000 crore, are now stuck in courts.

Redevelopment at AIIMS

The proposed “redevelopment” of AIIMS purportedly aims at the “augmentation of AIIMS Housing pool”. It involves two parcels of land belonging to the institute: 28.3 acres in West Ansari Nagar and 49.4 acres in Ayur Vigyan Nagar. These are residential colonies of AIIMS containing 1,444 single or two-storeyed houses of type I to type IV.

The MoU for the project states that these and other structures in the sites such as garages, Dharamshalas, schools and temples are to be demolished to make way for 4,505 houses of type II to VI and “other infrastructure”. Once constructed Ayur Vigyan Nagar next to Ansal Plaza and opposite Uday Park will have towers of 67 metres and West Ansari Nagar – opposite AIIMS and adjoining Safdarjung Hospital – will get structures 39 metres high. In comparison, the East Kidwai Nagar complex, which is already partially constructed, has towers 46 metres high.
But riding on this genuine need to increase housing for the AIIMS staff is the more contentious objective of “optimum utilisation of land, a scarce resource”. As per official documents, the built-up area (BAU) in West Ansari Nagar is proposed to increase from 28,550 sq. m to 3,31,371 sq. m and, in Ayur Vigyan Nagar, it will go up from 72,766 sq. m to 5,99,810 sq. m.

In redevelopment vocabulary, optimisation of land is synonymous with the monetisation of public assets through clause 3.3.2 (x) of the MPD 2021. This clause allows redevelopment projects to commercialise upto 10% of the permissible floor are ratio (FAR). NBCC, the project proponent, eyes the construction and sale of high rise towers on AIIMS land by maximising the FAR norms and the commercialisation clause allowed by the Delhi Masterplan.

Autonomous decision?

The AIIMS expenditure finance committee gave an in-principle approval in October 2015 to increase residential housing at AIIMS through this form of “self-financing”. The cabinet secretariat approved it on October 13, 2016. But strangely, this decision undid earlier decisions of the institute.

Clause 1.6 of the MoU between AIIMS and NBCC states “CPWD would be asked to stop tendering work of 352 housing of Type IV to Type VI at Ayur Vigyan Nagar”. NBCC offered to reimburse the expenditure incurred by AIIMS towards the cost of engaging an architect as well as the costs borne by CPWD to wrap up the work it had initiated and leave the site on an “as is where is” basis.

If indeed the decision to pursue the project in this form and shape was taken independently by the highest officials of the Institute, then the question that begs asking is why this decision is so unfavourable to AIIMS. The project involves large-scale commercialisation.

As per NBCC’s own admission at least 1,17,756 sq. metres of high-value commercial apartments are proposed to be built. 63% of this to come up at Ayur Vigyan Nagar. In addition 37, 530.908 sq. meters will be built as a “transit hostel” in place of the existing modest 3784 sq. metres of Dharamshala in West Ansari Nagar.

The proceeds from the sale of the commercial components are meant to cover the cost of the housing construction for AIIMS. In addition, it will also service the NBCC’s costs in the form of 12% return on its investment of Rs 200 crores, 8% project management costs and 1% marketing expenses for its role as a sale agent.

The remainder would go to the Consolidated Fund of India as revenue. Thus, for the project proponent and the central government, AIIMS redevelopment is a revenue generator.

At its end of the bargain, AIIMS may no doubt have the housing it presently needs, but it would lose the opportunity to use the available land for its future needs, the commercial exploitation of the newly created space could lead to congestion, water scarcity and other problems and soon this premier medical institute servicing large populations may have the move out of this area altogether.
Approval authorities misled

In January 2019, the environment ministry’s expert appraisal committee (EAC) recommended the environment clearance for both Ayur Vigyan Nagar and West Ansari Nagar projects. These projects were approved by the Central ministry only because the Delhi State Environment Impact Assessment (SEIAA) authority’s term had expired in April 2018. Since then neither the Centre nor the GNCTD has pushed for its reconstitution.
These projects have been approved based on incomplete assessments, “copy-paste” EIA reports and assurances of future approvals for critical resources such as water. The EIA reports of both the sites carry an identical description of the study area and population estimates listed in Table 3.21.

They state that West Ansari Nagar is located in “Ayur Vigyan Nagar Tehsil –Hauz Khas, of South Delhi District”, which is actually the location for the Ayur Vigyan Nagar project. A wrong description of the study area is not just a gross legal violation but would also lead to an improper assessment of impacts. As per law, such false and misleading data can make projects liable for rejection, and clearances, if granted, could be recalled.

As in the case of 7GPRA, there is also a major question regarding the legality of these approvals, which treat the AIIMS housing project as two separate ones for the purpose of environmental approvals showing reduced impacts and consider them as one to maximise the commercialisation clause of the MPD. These projects should have been treated as one integrated project with a combined EIA as is required by the Office Memorandum dated No. J-11013/41/2006-IA.II (I) dated 24 December 2010.

As per the information available on the DUAC website, in September 2018, the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) rejected approval to the Ayur Vigyan project on grounds of the loss of tree cover in these colonies. The application submitted to the DUAC mentions only 1,687 trees in this colony out of which 700 would need to be cut.

However, the tree numbers disclosed in the applications for environment approval give different figures. It says that the total trees in question are 325 out of which 217 are to be cut and 108 to be translocated. These contradictory numbers also appear to a major underestimation. The Delhi forest department has not carried out a mandatory tree census for at least four years, and the public data on the department’s website is incomplete.

It would be a gross injustice to take the NBCC’s numbers of tree cover in these colonies at face value. Both West Ansari Nagar and Ayur Vigyan Nagar are very green residential areas with well laid internal roads lined by shade-giving and flowering trees, large playgrounds and parks that provide open space for community interactions of children, women and the aged.

Flowerbeds and well-tended kitchen gardens with fruit trees surround many houses. Both these green areas provide much needed ecological services not only to the residents but also to those living and working in nearby congested areas like South Extension and Sadiq Nagar.

The DUAC has also asked for details related to the overall traffic management around the site. These are missing in the project EIA documents. The traffic burden is one of the major questions in the East Kidwai Nagar and the 7 GPRA citizen’s protests and court cases. This issue has a very limited reference in the EIA reports of the AIIMS projects based on which environment clearances have been granted.

The EIA report for West Ansari Nagar calls the site “a highly traffic intensive area because three National Highways; NH- 24, NH-2, NH-8 are located in 6 km range and more than 11 roads.” But the environment clearances granted to both the projects in February 2019 state that “Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) shall be carried out engaging services of an organisation”, establishing that these approvals have been granted without this study or any management measures being in place.

Dissent against commercialisation

A note by the institute states that the decision to go with this proposal was “firmed up after wide consultations and deliberations by a broad-based committee of faculty whereafter consensus was arrived (at) in a meeting chaired by the director, AIIMS in the presence of heads of departments, faculty association, the officers’ union, the nursing union and the karmachari union.”

However, this claim by the institute flies in the face of open dissent and protests by doctors and administrative staff. Their concern has been that this decision to commercialise AIIMS campuses would worsen their space and infrastructure shortages rather than solve them.

The AIIMS OPD, for example, is built to cater to less than 2,500 patients per day but in reality, it attends to over 30,000 patients every day. The roads surrounding AIIMS are already heavily congested with traffic.

The institute issued show cause notices to these doctors who have questioned this decision of the administration and there are reported threats of termination of their jobs. The doctors have continued their efforts to bring the attention of parliamentarians to this major issue of turning AIIMS land into commercial establishments.

They have suggested alternatives such as using government budgets to build staff housing rather than this form of “self-financing”, providing housing at East Kidwai Nagar as well as easing the pressure on AIIMS land by relocating other administrative bodies such as Indian Council of Medical Research and National Board of Examination from the campus.

These solutions are proposed with the aim of protecting the assets of AIIMS so that it may continue to provide public health and medical facilities to the poorest patients and conduct state of the art medical research that benefits the nation. These letters have gone unanswered.
Urban collapse

The MPD clauses that permit monetisation and privatisation of public lands is socially and ecologically indefensible. The AIIMS redevelopment is the latest in the line of projects that grab the public lands of Delhi. These resources are important for the public purposes they serve today and in the future such as housing, accessibility, ecology and heritage. But the Centre seems bent on approving these projects one by one.

Courtesy: Counter View

The post AIIMS redevelopment is the latest in the line of projects that grab the public lands of Delhi appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Psychiatrists at top health institutions in Delhi also say that in most cases people don’t even understand they may be actually affected by it, which is a “cause for worry”.

“Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are like double-edge swords, on the one hand they may have brought a greater sense of democratisation, but on the other, there is the dark side to it too, and many youth are either being harassed on it or becoming addicted to it, leading to psychological problems,” Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Sandeep Vohra told PTI.

Vohra, who practices at Indraprastha Apollo in south Delhi, says the hospital’s Psychiatry Department gets 80-100 case per week, which includes people who are suffering from common psychological disorders like depression and anxiety or severe ones like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

“But we are also getting what is called the Internet addiction disorder and cases where people’s life has been affected because of some issue over the social media.

“Besides, social media has also made the youth more conscious about how they look and there is a constant sense of validation or approval from other around them, affecting their self-esteem and mental well-being,” he says.

Dr Roma Kumar, Child and Adolescent Psychologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital cautions that with excessive social media, people, especially the youth are “allowing others to take control of their lives”.

“We had a case in which a 30-year-old man became so obsessed with a girl that he lost 15 kg of weight running after her. He also stalked her on Facebook and Instagram. The family of the man then brought him to us. The girl and her family were stressed out because of this episode,” she says.

Kumar says with celebrities posting on Facebook and tweeting 24×7, youths have become more “misguided into this ‘like-comment-share’ and ‘instant reaction’ culture, where many times people become upset if their friends do not like a post or a picture.

“Besides, many of them are spending inordinate time over Internet and social media, sleeping late night and not communicating with people in real life. This is a dangerous trend. The worry is that many of these youth, do not know that they are exhibiting changed psychological behaviour.”

Doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health experts globally will join hands tomorrow to mark the World Mental Health Day.

Professor of Psychiatry at AIIMS, Dr Rajesh Sagar says, “It is no doubt that social media is affecting the emotional and psychological well-being of people. But that holds for excessive use of anything. What is needed is proper training for students at school level in judicious use of social media, as we cannot part with technological changes.”

Sharing a case study at Apollo, Vohra says, “Social media is also triggering relationship breakdown in many cases. A 17- year-old girl came to us after she was harassed by her ex- boyfriend over Facebook. So much so that the girl’s family had to file a police complaint against the boy, who has become obsessed with her.”

He says besides triggering anxiety, depression and self- destructing tendencies, social media platforms have also led to people suffering from “body dysmorphic disorder”.

“So we had a 21-year-old girl who was brought to us, who insisted that her nose was imperfect and tried rhinoplasty despite the fact it was alright. Constant bombardment of images on social media, peer pressure and ‘selfie-culture’ has engendered this narcissistic behaviour that borders on psychological disorders,” Vohra says.

Ganga Ram Hospital’s Kumar says she gets “cases where young people especially adolescents come to me complaining they have suicidal tendencies and ask what they should do.

After going through their history, one realises that many of them had some sort of harassment or bullying on social media.”

A 24-year-old Delhi-based professional, who did not wish to be identified, says, “There is this culture of unwanted tagging with nasty posts on Facebook and trolling on Twitter that the social media culture has spawned. I myself have been its victim, so I know.
“Though I think social media is a tool to network and be in touch with people who are far off, but excessive use of it is affecting people in a bad way.”

Vohra says “social media also has become a platform for catharsis for the youth.

“It is an open and free forum, and many of them see this virtual place where they can let out their pent-up emotions or rent anger. Many also post suicide notes on Facebook before claiming their lives, so, it has both pros and cons. And one has to use it judiciously.”

Sagar at AIIMS says, the only way forward is to educate the youth when they are in school. “Just like we do it for cigarettes and alcohol use, I think there should be an education and counselling programme in schools for social media too. Since, we are living in a digital era, we cannot say we should divorce ourselves from social media, but we can learn to adapt it the right way.”

The World Mental Health Day theme by the UN this year is –‘Dignity in Mental Health — Psychological & Mental Health First Aid for All’.

“Social media has taken over real socialisation.

Playgrounds are shrinking and children are more into internet gaming then outdoor sports which is a cause of concern…

Majority of mental health patients don’t seek treatment, just about 10-15 per cent do. That is mostly because of the stigma attached to it,” Sagar says.

(With inputs from PTI)

Courtesy: Janta ka Reporter
 

The post Social media affecting mental well-being of youth: Experts appeared first on SabrangIndia.