Cops unable to trace missuing Russian
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: More than six months after Russian national, Victor Pomerantsev, who was staying in Goa without valid documents, was discharged from the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB), the Goa police is still clueless about his whereabouts.
Even as the Russian consulate in Mumbai waits to repatriate the Russian national, the Goa police have sent wireless to all police stations and have asked cops to check Victor's whereabouts. The matter came to light in April 2009, when the Russian consulate official went to the Goa police's foreigner's registration office (FRO) to seek permission for Victor to leave the country'.
Victor was admitted to IPHB on June 11, 2008 and his illness was diagnosed as substance induced psychotic disorder. At IPHB, Victor kept repeating that he doesn't want to leave the country, "because he loves India". His visa expired in September 2007.
IPHB medical superintendent B S Cuncoliencar said, "He was admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment. Days before his discharge we informed Calangute police that the patient was fit to be discharged. But there was no response and as the doctor treating him gave a certificate stating that he is fit for discharge, we discharged him".
Incidentally, the Goa police was aware that the IPHB had decided to discharge Victor, as indicated by a letter written by SP (FRO) to the Russian authorities in November 2008, with a request to urgently repatriate Victor. The SP (FRO) wrote, "The office is now in receipt of letter from PI Calangute, wherein it is informed that the foreign national is now fit for discharge and doesn't require further hospitalization and requested to take his custody back".
The letter added, "To urgently take up repatriation of the Russian national or the representative of the Russian embassy in Goa may be urgently contacted and directed to take custody of the foreign national and necessary arrangements be made to repatriate the foreign national to his own country". But neither the police nor the Russian authorities took custody of Victor.
Said an official from FRO, "The process of Victor's repatriation is on. After he was discharged from IPHB, his present whereabouts are not known. The minute he is traced we will proceed with repatriation. We have flashed wireless messages to all police stations and asked them to provide information on his whereabouts".
Police sources said that he was admitted to the IPHB following a complaint from the Calangute police that an "unknown male, appearing to be a foreigner giving all vague answers, of unsound mind was wandering in the market and creating a nuisance in public places." He was first picked up by the Mapusa police for being a "public nuisance" and admitted to the IPHB in March, 2008, for almost 25 days. Later in April he was picked up by the Calangute police and sent to the IPHB. He was again picked up by the Calangute police in June.
20 July 2009,The Times of India, Goa edition
Monday, July 20, 2009
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1 comment:
In Frederick Noronha Goanet
I was intrigued by the (attached infra) Preetu Nair article in the
Times of India. I have to concede that TOI is not my favourite
newspaper when it comes to health-related articles, and I am not aware
if Ms Nair has any reasonable experience in health administration or
even health care.
I do however have a few queries:
[1] Having noted the total number of deliveries at the CHCs (Community
Health Centres), did Ms Nair enquire into the number of pregnant CHC
patients which eventually needed caesarean sections?
[2] If the answer is YES, did this number warrant the placement of a
qualified Obstetrician, anaesthetist and neonatal paediatrician on
call on site 24 hours at each of the CHCs?
[3] If not, why this article?
[4] Will you be suggesting next that all CHCs have (say) MRI
facilities? .... because they might not have any right now?
[5] Aren't certain procedures which require multi-speciality care and
care facilities, best handled centrally at better equipped tertiary
centres rather than secondary centres - unless the load on the
secondary centres (CHCs) justifies such an outlay of manpower and
funds?
I suggest that the amount of time it will take an obstetrician,
Anaesthetist and neonatal paediatrician to travel from his/her home
(say in Benaulim) to the nearest CHC (say in Chicalim) will be the
same as it will take a patient (say in Chicalim) to travel to the
Hospicio in Margao. [ as an example ]. Unless ...in this case
scenario, Ms Nair is also suggesting that the CHCs have furnished
accomodations and meal facilities for all the specialty doctors and
nurses needed to be on call.
BTW: It is naive to think that a centre for C-Sections does not need
Newborn Intensive care centres. About two decades ago, I was in
conversation with a non-clinical person heading GMC. Being a
non-clinical person (I suppose) That person did not understand why a
newborn centre needed nurses and doctors to run the centre. "The nurse
from maternity can come and give the injections, No?"
I wish journos like Ms Nair would use correct terminology when writing
medical articles.....or at least run the article by someone in the
field you might happen to know.
Granting that all obstetricians are also trained in gynaecology, the
physician who performs a c-section is an obstetrician, and not a
gynaecologist. It is a question of which hat one wears.
jc
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