NCW urged to deploy a female technician for conduct of ECG tests on women patients at govt hospital in Karimnagar
K M Dayashankar
KARIMNAGAR: Karimnagar based social worker and RTI activist Mohammad Shahabuddin has urged National Women’s Commission chairman Rekha Sharma to instruct the authorities concerned to deploy female technician for the conduct of ECG tests on women patients visiting the Government district headquarters hospital in Karimnagar town.
In a mail sent to the National Commission for Women and copy of which was released to the media here on Wednesday, Mr Shahabuddin stated that the women patients were forced to skip the ECG tests at the government hospital and forced to approach the private hospitals where there were female technicians for the conduct of tests. The ECG (electrocardiogram) is commonly used to detect abnormal heart rythms and to investigate the cause of chest pains, he stated and added that the pregnant women would also have to undergo ECG tests before ceasarian operations.
The ECG test usually involving applying medicated gel and placing electrodes on patient’s chest and other parts of the body, he said and found fault with the hospital authorities for deploying only male technicians at the ECG laboratory. The women patients were feeling embarrassed to undergo ECG tests at the government hospital in the presence of male technician, he said.
He urged the National women’s commission chairman to instruct the state government to provide a female technician for the conduct of ECG tests for women patients. He said that he had been representing the issue with the district headquarters hospital since 2018 onwards, but in vain. Hence, he was forced to approach the NCW in the interest of women’s privacy and security at the government hospital.
