KALYANI: As Binayak Sen<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Binayak%20Sen> continues to languish in jail, his patients are likely to suffer outside. Besides concern for the doctor sentenced to life by a sessions court in Chhattisgarh for aiding and abetting Maoist<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Maoist> activities his family is worried about hundreds of poor tribals who Binayak would treat free of cost.
"The life term to Binayak will hamper health services to the poor tribals in Raipur," said Binayak's wife IIlena Sen. "The same thing had happened during his arrest in 2008," added his ageing mother, Anasua Sen. A book on the celebrated philanthropist called Indian Doctor in Jail, the Story of Binayak Sen' by Nandita Haksar<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Nandita%20Haksar> in 2008 documents the "inhumane attitude of police" with regard to treatment of poor tribals and the "callousness of jail authorities" in not allowing Binayak to take care of ailing inmates". The day Binayak was arrested, he had reportedly requested police to allow him to attend his clinic. He knew his patients would be waiting, with some of them needing urgent medical attention. "Police did not allow him to go. One of the patients who had been waiting for him, Bishnu from Bagrumnala, died a few days after Binayak's arrest. By jailing the doctor, the state has effectively deprived people, living in more than 200 villages, of access to any medical care," writes Nandita. With Binayak in jail, TB patients and those with chronic diseases reportedly underwent intense suffering as they had no alternative but to wait for their doctor to return. On the other hand, the physician was not even allowed to treat patients in jail. The document says, "In jail, Binayak has been kept with convicts, many of whom suffer from diseases such as TB. Jail authorities have refused to allow Binayak to treat them... they are totally callous towards the suffering of inmates." The document also criticised the country's policies on public health, calling them a mere eyewash. "The main concern (of the Union) is to pursue development policies that will benefit only the rich and fill the coffers of corporates. In this context, it becomes imperative that any campaign for the release of Binayak also articulates his concern for the right to development," the book reads. Binayak's colleagues, teachers and alumni of Medical College Hospital, Kolkata, scattered all over the world, came forward to protest against his arrest in 2008 and supported the campaign for his release. According to Nandita, health professionals who knew Binayak felt that he had been projected more as a human rights activist than a doctor, saying there was an urgent need to record his medical work as well. Many doctors agreed that his work as a civil rights activist was really an extension of his work as a public health specialist. Doctors from various organizations with which Binayak was associated such as Medico Friend Circle and Jan Swasthya Sahyog had come together under the banner of Doctors in Defence of Binayak Sen' in order to project his work in the field of community health and social medicine. They had invited Nandita, a lawyer on their committee, so that she could help document Binayak's work in a way that would help in the campaign for his release. "This time, too, if he stays behind bars for long, it will hamper treatment of the poor... We hope he is granted bail soon," said Anasua. Illena echoed the sentiment while airing her fears about Binayak's "fragile" health condition as well. Read more: Binayak's patients await treatment - The Times of India<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Binayaks-patients-await-treatment/articleshow/7193677.cms#ixzz19f0oKBb6> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Binayaks-patients-await-treatment/articleshow/7193677.cms#ixzz19f0oKBb6 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Binayaks-patients-await-treatment/articleshow/7193677.cms -- Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal +919820749204 skype-lawyercumactivist * * *"Nobody is giving up violence. Neither the state nor the Maoists are giving up violence. I am interested in furthering my cause, which is the cause of peace with justice.- DR BINAYAK SEN * *www.binayaksen.net* *PL SIGN ONLINE PETITION: * http://www.petitiononline.com/sen2010/petition.html *DO JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP * *http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14205312918* *JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT: ONE MILLION FACES http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179177728772740* * * * * -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
