KATHMANDU, Sept 15: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Samikchya Baskota has drawn the government’s attention to media person Suraj Singh Thakuri’s interview with a patient inside a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Baskota questioned the ethical and professional implications of conducting an interview inside an ICU, citing concerns over patients’ health, privacy, dignity and infection control.
Making a great first impression at an interview
“It's not only about media workers, health workers or the media sector; it also questions how sensitive we are to the health conditions of ordinary people,” she said.
She noted that ICUs treat critically ill patients under strict protocols and questioned how such interviews could be conducted when even family members are allowed to visit patients only at designated times.
“How ethical is it to interview a patient undergoing treatment in a hospital, especially inside an ICU, or to allow such an interview? What are the limits of health journalism during disasters?” she asked.
Baskota urged media outlets and health institutions to follow professional standards when reporting on critically ill patients, particularly during disasters, and cautioned against putting patients’ health conditions on public display while they are undergoing treatment.
