Negative publicity cannot overshadow Police Hospital’s yeoman service
The Sri Lanka Police Hospital which caters to the medical needs of serving and retired police officers and their spouses has a long history that began in the backyard of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital in Borella.
The hospital was later shifted to the Fort’s Galle Buck area. It occupied a section of the old Immigration Office for a short period before it was shifted first to a large mansion at Gregory’s Road and then to rented building at Kynsey Road, Borella. Finally, in 1990 or so, the hospital found a permanent abode at a Police Department building in Narahenpita. It had proper facilities.
The Police Hospital now has 37 permanent medical officers, but none of them is a police officer. They have been inducted into the Police Service as reservist Police Officers of different ranks. In addition, well-known physicians and specialists render their service on a voluntary basis, visiting the hospital on a regular basis. The 180-bed hospital has separate wards for women, retired officers and serving officers, and at least about 150 beds are occupied by patients of different ranks on any given day. Around 500 patients a day visit the hospital to seek outdoor treatment, but on days specialists hold their clinics, about 800 patients visit the hospital to receive treatment. On the day a voluntary lady physician holds her clinic, around 300 patients visit her for consultation.
In addition, physicians who are permanently attached to the hospital also conduct clinics on a regular basis. Ophthalmologist, cardiologists, dermatologists and other specialists also conduct regular clinics on a voluntary basis.
The hospital is administered by police officers in concurrence with doctors and other medical staff. This is not the only police hospital in the country. A newly established Police Hospital functions at Kundasale and a small hospital operates at Kankesanturai. Police Hospital doctors are periodically rostered to work in all three hospitals. A majority of the patients who visit these hospitals are constables, sergeants and their spouses. With limited resources and personnel, the hospital has rendered yeoman service to police personnel and their spouses. Recently, following the death of a retired senior officer, the hospital and the medical staff attracted negative media publicity.
On a complaint made by a son of the late Officer, alleging “medical negligence”, the IGP ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the death. Several nurses, attendants and other employees were summoned to the CID to record their statements, while some of the medical officers were interviewed. This has caused disappointment and despondency among the medical officers, the physicians and visiting specialists.
While sympathising with the family members of the late officer, I think this incident is unfortunate.
I would like to quote from a recent publication authored by a senior State Counsel. Titled “Medical Negligence Claims in Sri Lanka”, it says, “Medical negligence claims are left unanswered. For instance, is it that healthcare service demands are dependent on the socio-economic status, age or gender of injured parties, so that only certain groups of society will perceive the injuriousness of healthcare service experiences and/or interpret them as grievances? This would mean that perceiving and interpreting healthcare services are subjective demands based on demographical differences, rather than signifiers of the prevalence of objective standards of care”.
Perhaps the investigation will come to the conclusion where there was criminal negligence on the part of a particular doctor or not. “One swallow does not make a summer” -- the entire Police Hospital and its doctors cannot be painted with the same brush as incompetent or being negligent. The service done by these medical officers should be appreciated as their service helps thousands of patients who are mostly from the lower ranks. If there are administrative lapses on the part of any doctor or officer, disciplinary action should be taken, according to the established procedures.
A majority of retired officers of all ranks, who depend on the Police Hospital for their medical care, are disturbed by the adverse media publicity. The Retired Senior Police Officers Association (RSPOA), which was established in 1980 with a membership of about 500, is grateful to the Police Department and the Police Hospital. We are grateful to the surgeons, doctors, nurses, attendants and the Police Officers attached to the Police Hospital for the care and concern they show to retirees. We hope that the adverse publicity will not affect the efficiency and the health care service rendered by the doctors and the Police Hospital.
The wish of the retirees of all ranks is that both the medical staff and the Police personnel in the Police Hospital work together as a team to restore the good name of the Police Hospital and the doctors who have served both serving and retired Police Officers and their spouses with dedication and commitment.
(The writer is a retired DIG.)