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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

High-stakes chess beneath the surface

BJP Candidates coming out after filing their nomination for the upcoming Legislative Council Polls from Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Thursday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Typically, when a ruling coalition enjoys a formidable and comfortable majority, elections to the Rajya Sabha and the State Legislative Council are quiet, predictable affairs. They are often viewed as mere formalities, rarely capturing the public imagination or dominating front-page headlines. Historically, these indirect...

High-stakes chess beneath the surface

BJP Candidates coming out after filing their nomination for the upcoming Legislative Council Polls from Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Thursday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Typically, when a ruling coalition enjoys a formidable and comfortable majority, elections to the Rajya Sabha and the State Legislative Council are quiet, predictable affairs. They are often viewed as mere formalities, rarely capturing the public imagination or dominating front-page headlines. Historically, these indirect elections only become newsworthy under specific conditions: either the ruling coalition is plagued by internal fissures, or the opposition is too fragmented to put up a united front. In Maharashtra, however, the political landscape remains highly volatile. Recently, the Rajya Sabha elections became the center of intense media scrutiny, and over the past week, the Legislative Council polls followed suit. Although all ten candidates—nine from the ruling alliance and one from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—are now set to be elected unopposed, the intricate backroom maneuvers that led to this truce kept the state’s political circles buzzing. Interestingly, the reason for this heightened news value can be traced to both a subtle tug-of-war within the ruling combine and a visibly weakened opposition. Shifting Strategy The maneuvering within the opposition ranks has been particularly telling. A major focal point of the election buildup was the anticipated candidacy of Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray. After generating considerable hype and speculation about a potential return to the legislature, Thackeray ultimately chose to withdraw from the electoral fray. This sudden pullback forced a rapid recalibration within the MVA. Initially, the Congress party had adopted an aggressive posture, declaring its intention to field a candidate if Thackeray decided against contesting. However, following closed-door deliberations with Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership, the Congress quietly backed down. Why the state Congress leadership so readily acquiesced to this sudden change in strategy, sacrificing a potential seat, remains a mystery and a subject of intense debate among political observers. On the other side of the aisle, the ruling Mahayuti coalition maximized this electoral opportunity to consolidate its political base, reward loyalists, and balance complex regional equations. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) strategically paved the way for the political rehabilitation of former Congress legislator Zishan Siddique by nominating him to the Legislative Council. This calculated move introduces a prominent new Muslim face for the party, likely intended to fill the leadership vacuum in Mumbai left by veteran leader Nawab Malik. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde used his nominations to send a definitive message about the premium he places on loyalty. By securing another term for Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Shinde demonstrated that those who stood by his faction would be adequately rewarded. Furthermore, by bringing Vidarbha strongman Bachchu Kadu into the fold, Shinde has attempted to anchor his party’s future and expand its footprint in a region predominantly controlled by his senior alliance partner, the BJP. The Bharatiya Janata Party, playing its characteristic long game, meticulously ensured that its list of six candidates struck the perfect organizational, social, and political balance. Battle for LOP Despite these broader alliance strategies, the most consequential nomination in this electoral cycle is arguably that of Ambadas Danve. Barely six months after completing his tenure in the Upper House and stepping down from the prestigious post of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Danve has been nominated once again by the Shiv Sena (UBT). With his return to the house, there is a strong possibility that he will reclaim his former post. This specific development highlights a much deeper crisis within the Congress. Following Danve’s brief retirement, the Congress had naturally emerged as the largest opposition party in the Upper House. This mathematical advantage theoretically paved the way for their Kolhapur strongman, Satej “Banti” Patil, to lay claim to the Leader of the Opposition’s chair. However, the sudden defection of Congress MLC Pradnya Satav, who switched loyalties to the BJP, severely dented the party’s numbers. Her departure brought the Congress’s strength in the house just below that of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Stripped of its numerical superiority overnight, the Congress was relegated to being a mute spectator, unable to assert its rightful claim. Internal Dissent This series of tactical defeats has triggered palpable frustration within the Congress’s state unit. One senior Congress leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed deep disappointment with the state leadership’s inability to protect the party’s interests. “Everyone has personal political ambitions, but leaders must learn the ways to collectively move ahead and strategize,” the leader remarked, attributing the party’s current stagnation in Maharashtra to this lack of cohesive vision. In short, these Legislative Council elections have delivered one message loud and clear: even when everything appears calm and stable on the surface, the relentless machinery of politics continues to churn behind the scenes. No political player in Maharashtra can afford to rest assured or sit idle under the illusion that there are no major state elections until 2029.

Violence Against Healthcare Professionals: Deepening Crisis

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

In addition to deploying armed teams with communication tools and installing cameras, we implemented further measures to address violence in the healthcare sector.


Telemedicine for Prison

Medical professionals and health workers in public hospitals and medical colleges remain under threat from dangerous prisoners who threaten the medicos to permit their long stay in hospitals. Instances of verbal abuse and even stabbings have occurred. To counter this while an advisor in medical education (2016–17), I implemented video links for prisons to connect with district courts and provide telemedicine services. This initiative, which ran from 2017 to 2020, allowed prison doctors to communicate prisoner grievances to specialists for counselling without incurring extra costs.


Digital Post-Mortems

To address demands from relatives to avoid post-mortems, digital or virtual post-mortems—like those used by AIIMS, New Delhi—can provide accurate findings and prevent fraud complaints.


Private hospitals

In private hospitals, relatives of deceased patients may pressure healthcare workers with threats or demands, sometimes involving local politicians. This has led some doctors to seek weapon licenses for protection.

Addressing violence requires more than legal measures or armed protection. It involves regular training for all staff, improved infrastructure, and strict security measures, including access control and CCTV. Limiting visitors, documenting incidents, and reporting to law enforcement are also crucial. Testimonies can be given via video conferencing to ease court-related burdens.

Dr. Sancheti, a prominent Pune orthopaedist, attributes violence against healthcare workers to mistrust between patients and doctors. He has avoided violence by thoroughly explaining procedures to patients and their families. Dr. Sanjay Gupte emphasises that recovery should be a collaborative effort between patient and doctor. Dr. Shrikant Kelkar has pioneered training modules for health workers, implementing them across various hospitals. Psychiatrist Dr. Mohan Agashe adds that lack of understanding fuels legal issues and stresses that healthcare workers need intelligence and empathy.

The US Department of Labor’s Organizational Safety and Healthcare Facilities’ Roadmap provides guidelines for preventing violence in healthcare, available online. These guidelines cover management commitment, employee participation, worksite analysis, hazard identification, prevention and control, safety and health training, record keeping and program evaluation. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) should implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for public and private healthcare facilities and conduct semiannual reviews and rehearsals to address issues and implement international best practices.

Currently, the IMA recommends forming crisis management committees at the taluka or district level, including doctors, social workers, legal professionals, politicians, and press reporters. These committees would work with police to ensure thorough investigations and prevent premature prosecution of healthcare workers. They would also advise press reporters against sensationalising such incidents.

The Supreme Court’s “Martin D’Souza vs. Mohammed Isfaq” ruling warns police against harassing doctors unless Jacob Mathew’s case parameters are met. The Ministry of Transport has mandated that health workers prioritise treating Good Samaritans who report injuries, and police must not suspect informants but prioritise saving lives.

Strict adherence to these directives and guidelines by all concerned, as well as introspection by healthcare workers and improvement of their practices and monitoring of these periodically alone, can create a visible impact against such violence.

To address violence, the Core India Institute of Legal Medicine (CIILM) in Maharashtra, with retired police officers, has formed quick response teams. These teams, skilled in crowd control and mob psychology, train healthcare workers and defuse critical situations. Private hospitals should participate to ensure safety and peace of mind.

In conclusion, enacting laws alone won’t eliminate violence. Healthcare institutes must involve all stakeholders, be prepared for emergencies, establish clear policies and standard operation procedures (SOPs), and coordinate with law enforcement regularly.

(The writer is a former DGP, Maharashtra. Views personal)

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