Dearth of female ECG technicians
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 11: Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement has filed a complaint before the National Commission for Women against the authorities for having failed to provide adequate number of female ECG technicians in Government hospitals.
RTI Movement has sought intervention of the Commission in addressing this issue as this was violating the privacy rights of women.
In a statement chairman RTI Movement, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that he was forced to lodge a formal complaint in National Commission for Women (NCW) New Delhi as there was dearth of female ECG technicians across Kashmir Valley and in particular district Budgam. He said that female patients, especially young girls, feel humiliated in Government hospitals (PHCs, SDHs or district hospitals) when they are asked to get their ECG done through male technicians. This is a sheer violation of their privacy rights and the Government must take a serious notice of it.
“In past also I urged Government to address this issue but they never bothered to take it seriously and now we were forced to seek intervention of National Commission for Women ” reads the statement.
“ECG is not a specialized test which can only be done by some specialist. Even the X-ray or lab technicians can do this test if trained properly. We have several female X-ray or Lab technicians available in Government hospitals plus a battery of female health workers. Why can’t the Government train them to handle an ECG machine? Government must in fact appoint one each female ECG technician at PHC, SDH and District Hospital respectively under National Health Mission. It is ethically wrong when a female is asked to get an ECG done through a male technician. We appeal Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary Health and Medical Education and Director Health Services Kashmir to intervene” said Dr Raja Muzaffar.
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