A Regime Of Robots?

It was the TVC GIRLS at it again, more than elated to yet again nail a topic sure to drive traffic to the station... advertisers and hangers-on alike... all united and empassioned by yet another opportunity to pulverize doctors and the medical profession.

There had just been a tragedy. A girl was stabbed in the neck. She bled profusely. A mob gathered around her in the way Lagosians do. The sympathizers would rather trigger on the video buttons of their phones and yell rather than bring her into this "big hospital".

A doctor rushed out to help but the magnitude of bleed led him to ask that the patient be "rushed" to Gbagada General Hospital. His knowledge of Anatomy told him time was of essence. But the mob would rather persist in its shouts, camera work and time squandering!

And the TVC GIRLS equally swapped reason for passion. One said with absolute confidence that applying pressure would stem a carotid artery bleed. Well, who can blame her? She probably "ran" from the science class, giving up on herself on the intellectual prerequisite required of the discipline. without as much as an effort! And her gumption would not even prompt a Google Search before going on set and spewing rubbish.

Femi Falana toed the same path of blending with the crowd than applying reason and wisdom. Remember he also was an "arts" person before applying for law. So he keyed on this tragedy to phone in and proclaim the doctor a criminal without as much as a peep at his law books, a Google search or brook wisdom. He didn't forget to announce that "his law firm having been briefed is handling the case"!

Femi Falana forgot that the law compels no doctor to intervene in a medical emergency especially if such intervention would ultimately waste time, compound the problem or necessary assistance and equipment is lacking. Or if the doctor simply lacks the skill for such. The law says that if such doctor were to intervene however, he is DUTY bound to bring to bear the art and science of his profession... In its entirety! Consent here is implied and legally binding...

Nothing....absolutely nothing was said of the felony of the stab or the felon who did the stabbing.

I know that a stab on the carotid artery would see blood hitting ceilings... under high pressure. I also know for a fact that you don't apply pressure to such except you want to starve the brain of blood... and oxygen... and nutrients. You don't tie a tourniquet either, less you stand guilty of strangulation!

Osayuwamen Saleh had a background in physics. She was a TVC GIRL. Fred AGBAJE also had a degree in physics before venturing into law. Uwa would have moderated the wild suggestions of her mates. And Fred wouldn't have spoken without gumption.

Or send his intellect on a sabbatical.
Dr Tosin Akindele is a medical practitioner and public affairs analyst.