THIRUVANTHAPURAM: A study of statewide hartals or bandhs has highlighted the significant negative impact these disruptions have on healthcare delivery. Published in the Journal of Environment and Public Health, the study analysed data from 16 government health institutions, ranging from public health centres to medical college hospitals, during four hartals called by political parties a decade ago.
The findings revealed that the number of patients visiting outpatient clinics on hartal days dropped by nearly half due to restricted movement. The analysis compared the number of people seeking outpatient and emergency care on hartal days with those accessing services on normal days and the day following the bandh.
Although the study was published in 2016, Dr Aju Mathew, its author, chose to again throw light on the findings on the day of another nationwide general strike, on Wednesday.
"When public transportation is disrupted -- whether by hartals, strikes, or even traffic blocks -- human health is impacted. Clearly, if hospital visits are cut in half, at least some lives are likely to be significantly affected. The claim by hartal organisers that 'hospitals are immune' is simply false," said Dr Mathew, a consultant oncologist and public health researcher based in Ernakulam.
"Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in India, and the delay in accessing hospital care directly leads to irreversible heart muscle damage. With this Bharat bandh, we can reasonably assume that some individuals may have suffered heart damage due to inaccessibility. Civil society and the government must take measures to prevent such disruptions," he added.
The study did not include private hospitals, which deliver a significant portion of healthcare in the state, as these institutions are not covered by the RTI Act.
However, Dr Mathew speculated that the impact on private healthcare would likely be more severe, as government hospitals are typically provided extra security during hartals.
The study, however, acknowledges the limitations in data quality for further subgroup analysis regarding the number of surgical cases in emergency room visits and elective outpatient visits.