Innovate to save lives

I recently went to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a city hospital. One of my students at BRACUniversity suffered a serious brain injury while travelling in a tempo that overturned. The boy eventually succumbed to his fatal injury. Deep within, I felt a sense of loss not only on account of the student and his family, but also for the university, as well as for the nation which lost a fine human asset. Three things occurred to me as I made my pensive way back home.

First, when the accident occurred, some good Samaritans stepped forward and tried to save the student. But they were turned away from several hospitals, while his life was ebbing. For one thing, the Samaritans had no information regarding which hospital had ICU facilities and which one had an available bed to offer. As a result, when they reached a hospital, they either learnt that it did not have an ICU or were told that the ICUs were full. In one case, the hospital was reluctant to admit the student based on the seriousness of his condition. A staff member apparently remarked in cavalier fashion, "Take him away; you will only spend lakhs, but not take him back alive." From what I learnt, there was no effort to admit the patient for a comprehensive evaluation and make any attempt to save the life. The frantic rush from one hospital to another may have been ultimately responsible for the loss of a precious life.

Given that the student was from the Computer Science and Engineering department, it dawned on me that an app could be developed (perhaps by his friends in remembrance) that would immediately show which hospitals have ICUs and available beds. This idea can later be expanded to other hospital services. To save precious time, one must be able to reserve a bed immediately via the app and regardless of the condition of the patient, the ICU must give a professional opinion after admitting the patient. This should be a law! Admittedly, the details of the app need to be worked out; for example, against false bookings, pranks, etc. Perhaps a substantive fee may be charged upon booking the space, although this may make the good Samaritans balk from making the reservation. Surely, these matters are not insoluble and will have to be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

The second issue is that of costs. Who is to pay for the exorbitant cost of intensive care? As things stand, the family of the student will now be responsible for bearing the huge costs – a bolt from the blue – for the fault of someone else, namely the tempo driver. As reported, the haste, belligerence and carelessness of the tempo driver should make it his responsibility to pay. Perhaps the owner of the vehicle also bears some responsibility for hiring a reckless and unduly aggressive driver. But this idea is likely to go nowhere: too many ifs and buts, including the financial status of the tempo driver and the raw power of the owner's groups that likely includes members from powerful coteries.

This particular student had a very high CGPA and was a promising star – in fact, a national asset.  Students who come so far to study at the university level are decidedly national assets. They will be contributing to the nation's growth and need to be supported to the extent possible. Suppose the student had survived, the burden of medical expenses could have cost him his education. 

A suggestion, therefore, is to contemplate a nation-wide insurance plan for students in higher education (or even at lower tiers or all students). For their protection, as well as the protection of their families, a three-way insurance scheme may be envisaged where the student and his family pays a part, the university pays another, while the nation pays a third part. This proposal could be the starting point of a conversation on how to protect the most vital of our country's assets: human assets. Insurance companies also ought to look at how best to craft policies that protect these assets. While these companies are entitled to make profits, their policies often keep out a significant proportion of the population, especially those in need, even from basic coverage. There are universal health coverage schemes in other nations that could be studied for adaptation and adoption.

Finally, the tempo (and other public vehicle) drivers really need to be reined in. They are far too aggressive, far too callous, and often hostile when let loose on our streets. In their rush to get to places, they are pushy, change lanes on a whim, and are utterly callous of where they pick up or drop off passengers, oblivious to the risks to which the passengers are exposed. Can a national programme be developed to train and certify the drivers of public (and even private) transportation vehicles? In addition, can a database be developed to track those drivers who have a record of bad driving to be able to keep them off the streets? An app could be developed for this as well. For example, each vehicle would have a highly visible code to which the driver of the vehicle is connected. Suffering passengers could report the driver using the code on a set of violations using the app that would automatically go into a database, resulting in accumulation of negative points. Using the database as a tracking mechanism about the driver and the owner, disciplinary penalties could be imposed on both driver and owner to bring about much needed behavioural changes in those who run riot on our streets.

Catastrophic events deliver many families into the clutches of poverty from which there may be no coming back. As the nation continues to make steady economic progress, its social innovations must keep pace. Social protection via innovative apps and a national insurance policy, crafted properly, can protect many families faced with a life-changing event. Anticipating the challenges driven by development and designing innovative provisions are the need of the day. Academia, especially, can and must join hands with other stakeholders to lead the way. 

The writer is the Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University.