Feigning sick to seek medical asylum
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: January 23, 2024 -

IT is definitely wrong, ethically and morally, to make fun of someone's sickness or illness.

In fact, more than being ethnically and morally wrong, it would be simply repugnant to do so.

Because, it js important to understand how hurtful it could be to the sick person to use his or her illness as a way to mock or belittle them.

In other words, making jokes out of someone's medical condition is not funny at all.

Nevertheless, we can't help but to take notice of a couple of MLAs belonging to the ruling party in the strife-torn northeastern Indian state of Manipur, whose whereabouts had remained unknown to the people for so long, suddenly despatching letters to the Chief Minister requesting for grant of leave from attending a crucial meeting convened on Sunday to discuss some important issues confronting the state in the light of increasing aggression of armed Kuki militants not only on the security personnel but also on the unarmed civilians.

While citing treatment of their medical condition outside Manipur, these sick MLAs, some of whom have been reportedly admitted to hospitals following complaint of chest pain and breathlessness while some other diagnosed with epistaxis, which is a rather fancy medical term for a nosebleed, nonetheless did not fail to mention about their responsibility towards ensuring the welfare or betterment of the state in their respective leave applications.

Such is their dedication and commitment to the state and its people who have been suffering for nearly nine months now, one could say and appreciate.

But what is interesting to note here is that that these MLAs have fallen sick one after another in the last couple of days only.

How serious is the sickness of the honourable MLAs and how they have developed these medical conditions within the last few days, only God knows.

The answer to this million-dollar question is beyond the realm of mortal beings, who elected them as their representatives in a democracy.

The practice of politicians or influential people feigning illness and seeking medical asylum to avoid situation they do not want to be in is not a new thing in India.

This is more so in cases where the politicians or people of wealth and influence were caught on the wrong side of the law.

To evade arrest or escape from being held accountable for their actions, the last option they have is to feign illness and seek medical asylum.

This practice has been made possible due to certain loopholes in the judiciary system that allows wider interpretation and connotation of the "Right to Life" guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which the framers of the Constitution may not have even imagined.

Even if the interpretation and subsequent inclusion of right to health and medical care within the ambit of Article 21 has been done in the interest of protecting health of the citizens at large by keeping in mind the exigencies of changing times, it is really unfortunate that the same has been exploited to the hilt by corrupt politicians and influential people today to shield themselves from facing the music.

Of course, it would be ethically and morally wrong again, if we were to club the 'sick' MLAs of the ruling party in Manipur with the corrupt politicians elsewhere in India who feign illness and seek medical asylum to avoid arrest.

But the manner in which they sent their letters of application seeking leave from taking part in an important meeting called by the Chief Minister citing hospitalisation for some inconsequential health issues just a couple of days back has shown how utterly unbecoming of their conduct is to call themselves elected representatives of the people.

It would be far more honourable for them to quit themselves rather than to wait for the same people who elected them to show the door.