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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Fatal Negligence

Newborns dying in a fire inside a government hospital is a devastating indictment of a system that is supposed to protect its most vulnerable patients. The Amravati District Women’s Hospital tragedy, where a blaze killed three infants, joins a long list of preventable institutional failures. Thirty-nine babies were inside the three-compartment facility when the fire erupted after a ventilator in the neonatal unit caught fire. Thirty-six were eventually rescued. Parents and eyewitnesses have...

Fatal Negligence

Newborns dying in a fire inside a government hospital is a devastating indictment of a system that is supposed to protect its most vulnerable patients. The Amravati District Women’s Hospital tragedy, where a blaze killed three infants, joins a long list of preventable institutional failures. Thirty-nine babies were inside the three-compartment facility when the fire erupted after a ventilator in the neonatal unit caught fire. Thirty-six were eventually rescued. Parents and eyewitnesses have alleged that the fire alarms did not sound and the automatic sprinklers failed to activate even as the district administration has said the hospital underwent regular fire audits and had applied for this year’s audit. An audit is meaningful only if it establishes that equipment works when lives depend on it. Maharashtra has already witnessed the deadly consequences of fire-safety failures in public hospitals. In 2021, eleven Covid-19 patients died in a fire at the Ahmednagar district hospital even though a fire audit conducted months earlier had recommended a firefighting system. The Amravati tragedy demands more than the familiar ritual of a high-level inquiry, compensation and promises of “strictest action”. The announcement of ex gratia payments cannot compensate parents who have lost a child they had barely begun to know. The investigation must establish not merely what ignited the fire, but why it was allowed to become fatal. Was the ventilator properly maintained? Were electrical and medical devices routinely inspected? Did alarms function? Were sprinklers operational? Was the NICU appropriately located and equipped for evacuation? Were staff trained and drills conducted? And most importantly, who was responsible for ensuring that every safeguard worked? There is another troubling detail: the neonatal unit was reportedly housed on the third floor, rather than at ground level, and questions have arisen over whether the unit was part of the building’s original plan. The state has built an elaborate architecture of laws and child-protection standards which seldom matches the situation on ground. Whether in government hospitals, schools or anganwadis, safety has become a box to be ticked rather than a responsibility to be lived. The most vulnerable children are consequently left dependent not on systems, but on the vigilance and heroism of individual staff members. That is an appalling way to run the childcare infrastructure of one India’s most developed states. A NICU is perhaps the worst possible place for institutional complacency: its patients are immobile, medically dependent and extraordinarily vulnerable to smoke, heat and even brief disruption of life-support equipment. The government must ensure that the Amravati deaths do not become another entry in the grim ledger of hospital tragedies followed by inquiries, outrage and forgetting. The real test will be whether the state can prevent the next newborn from dying in a hospital that was supposed to save him.

Significance of Adhik Month

As Adhik Maas comes to a close, it is the right time to reflect on the deeper meaning of this sacred month. Adhik Maas, also known as Purushottam Maas, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is considered one of the most auspicious periods in the Hindu calendar.


It is a month associated with prayer, discipline, reflection, charity and positive action.


Why Adhik Maas Is Added

Adhik Maas occurs roughly once every three years. The traditional Hindu calendar is lunisolar, which means it follows lunar months while also staying connected with the solar year and the seasons. Since the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, a difference gradually develops between the two.


To bring the calendar back into balance, an extra month is added after almost every three years to synchronise the lunar and solar cycles. In simple words, Adhik Maas is a month of adjustment, alignment and correction.


A Lesson for Our Own Lives

This idea has a beautiful message for our own lives. Just as the calendar needs realignment, our life also needs regular realignment.


Our habits, priorities, relationships, health, career and finances cannot be left unattended forever. From time to time, we must pause and ask ourselves whether our actions are matching our goals.


Realignment in Investments

The same principle applies to investments. Many people begin investing with good intentions, but after that, they do not review their investments and financial goals regularly.


A SIP may be started, but it may not be increased for years. Lumpsum investments may be delayed even when money is lying idle in the bank. Financial goals may change, income may increase, responsibilities may increase, but the investment plan remains the same.


Increase SIPs and Do Something Extra

For long-term goals beyond three years, money should be invested in growth-oriented assets such as stocks, equity mutual funds, hybrid mutual funds and gold.


If your income has increased in the last one year, your SIP should also increase. Ideally, one should try to invest at least 30% of monthly income through SIPs.


This sacred month also teaches us the importance of doing something extra. In investments, that extra effort can be in the form of lumpsum investing.


Whenever you receive additional money such as bonus, incentive, business profit, gift or surplus cash, it should be put to productive use.


Correction Is Necessary for Growth

Adhik Maas reminds us that correction is not a negative thing. In fact, correction is necessary for growth.


The market also corrects to adjust itself and build a stronger foundation for newer highs in the future. That is why markets remain volatile and uncertain in the short term, but over the long term, they reward patience, discipline and consistency.


Questions to Ask Before Adhik Maas Ends

The end of Adhik Maas should not be seen only as the end of a religious period. It should be seen as an opportunity to take stock of life and money.


Are your SIPs aligned with your current income? Have you invested your surplus cash? Are your investments sufficient for your future goals? Are you taking action, or only waiting?


Reflection Must Become Action

As Adhik Maas ends on 15 June, let us carry its message forward. Realign where needed. Correct what has been ignored. Add the extra effort required.


A sacred month becomes truly meaningful when reflection turns into action.


(The author is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

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