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The Crime of Negligence
A Photo Feature by Prito Reza
The “highest attainable standard of health” is a basic human right and inherent in this is adequate health and medical care. The story of our health care system, however, goes against this very definition. Inaccessible, unaffordable and substandard are some of the characteristics of our hospitals and medical professionals. Some people wait days to get admission into public hospitals -- sometimes out in the corridor for lack of accommodation -- while others have to sell off their possessions to be able to afford a seat in private ones. Some hospitals do not even have an ambulance to spare. Once admitted, it does not get any easier either, with directors and doctors -- even at emergency and intensive care wings -- late or completely absent; hospital staff inattentive to the point of negligent and rude; lack of hygiene, with the same, un-sterilised equipment used on multiple patients and low quality food; not to mention the numerous cases of malpractice which most often go unpunished. The story of our hospitals is one of fatal neglect.
Prito Reza is a freelance photojournalist.
