Why can’t we count on a government hospital in case of an emergency?

Lashing out at the lack of sufficient medical facilities and accountability at government hospitals in the city, Mahanati director Nag Ashwin, who lost his friend,

cinematographer Rakesh Erukulla

to a road mishap recently, took to Twitter to seek answers from the government. Rakesh, known for his work in in films such as

Yevade Subramanyam

and Ko Ante Koti, reportedly succumbed to injuries after being left unattended for over three hours at the Gandhi Hospital premises, without any treatment being given. Pointing out that the time lost could’ve made the difference between life and death at a private hospital, the filmmaker directed his question at politician KTR, and asked him what can be done to ensure that the word ‘government hospital’ is not synonymous with ‘carelessness and death’. “...My friend was easily one of the best cameramen we have in the state. I don’t know whom else to ask sir. Nobody should die needlessly...” tweeted Nag.

Responding to everyone who asked him why would the parents of the deceased take their son to a government hospital, the filmmaker added, “why didn’t they shift him somewhere else...i don’t know... they were in panic.. but really.. in the capital of a state, why can’t we count on a government hospital to rush to save a life.” (sic).

Speaking to Hyderabad Times, the filmmaker clarified that his motive wasn’t to question the current government but to highlight the pathetic state of affairs at government hospitals. “I am not asking for government hospitals to match the standards of their private counterparts. I just want to make sure no parent goes through the trauma of watching a son die without being attended to. I am a filmmaker, so my voice is being heard right now. But imagine the plight of those who don’t have a voice,” Ashwin laments, adding, “I know things can’t change overnight and I’m not expecting drastic develo-pments. But we live in a city that boasts of great technological and medical advancements. So, there is hope. installation of CCTV cameras in hospitals could be a step in the right direction.”