Delhi hospital official apologises to staff over controversial ‘no Malayalam’ circular
The nursing superintendent of GB Pant Hospital in New Delhi has apologised for issuing a controversial circular that barred nursing staff from talking in Malayalam on responsibility, saying he had “no intention to disrespect any Indian language, region, or religion”.
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The hospital had withdrawn the circular, which requested the nursing staff to converse solely in Hindi and English, on June 6, saying it was issued “without any instruction or knowledge of the hospital administration and the Delhi government”.
In a letter to the medical director of the hospital on June 7, the nursing superintendent defined the explanations behind issuing the circular and stated it was issued in “a positive sense and there was no bad intention against Malayalam-speaking staff”.
“In fact, the circular was misinterpreted and I didn’t even get a chance to explain the same,” he stated.
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The official stated he had acted on the premise of complaints obtained on May 31, June 1 and June 2.
“The gist of the complaint was that most of the staff communicates in regional language due to which other staff members as well as attendants of the patients feel helpless. It was requested to sort out the matter… Complainant clearly mentioned Malayalam language,” the letter by the nursing superintendent learn.
Earlier, too, sufferers and attendants had complained verbally to seniors about some staff members utilizing their regional language, he stated.
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The sufferers would assume they’d some severe well being points and that’s why languages are modified to disguise their situation. Hence, the circular was issued to “avoid any confusion due to language barrier”, the nursing superintendent stated.
“Even then, if feelings of any staff were hurt, I regret and offer an apology for the same,” he stated.
On June 7, the Delhi Health Department had issued a memo to Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (GIPMER) in reference to the controversial circular.
A supply stated the well being division had requested the hospital to “explain why such an order was issued”.
An official of the G.B. Pant nurses’ affiliation stated there are round 850 nurses working on the hospital and of them, round 400 are Malayali.