Chennai: A 40-second video of a Govt Stanley Hospital worker dropping boiled eggs near patients — one beside a plastered arm, the other near a patient’s leg — went viral Wednesday. A day later, Tamil Nadu’s health department was not investigating a lapse in patient care. Instead, it was defending an employee, discrediting a whistleblower and warning the public against believing what it had watched.Health minister K G Arunraj told reporters on Thursday that the employee was a sincere worker and that the egg’s shell had been unbroken when it was placed near the patient’s bed. “During the inquiry, the employee said the patient had asked for it to be left on the bed as there were no attendants,” he said. An inquiry was initiated as soon as the video was shared on social media, he said. “We found the video was recorded nearly five months ago and that the person who filmed it had since demanded Rs 20,000 from the employee. He released the footage with malicious intent, when the employee refused to pay,” he said.His statements were based on a report by the dean Dr A Aravind, which cited an inquiry conducted by the heads of the departments of plastic surgery, neurology and orthopaedics. The report said the eggs weren’t thrown at the patients, and there was no hygiene violation as the shell was not broken. It also said there was no caste discrimination, because the employee himself belonged to a Scheduled Caste. The committee concluded that the real story was extortion, and that the video had been “deliberately politicised” once the money demand failed.The report does not explain why eggs were not served during the meal, or why they were not on plates or cups. There was no action against the employee for violating patients’ rights, or against nurses and duty doctors who failed to stop him. “It’s unbelievable. How could the govt accept the report without asking serious questions? Just because patients are treated free, they can’t be mistreated like this,” said Kauvery S, whose husband was admitted to Stanley Hospital two weeks ago. “I have seen them serving eggs like this on several days,” she said.Senior doctors like vascular surgeon Dr J Amalorpavanathan said hospitals can’t treat patients in such a disrespectful manner. “At least now, the government must ensure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
