Caution: You are Recorded!

From Hotels to Hospitals, from toilets to X-ray rooms, Kerala is obsessed with cameras these days. If it was Hotel Sagar recording how you use their toilets, now it is Ernakulam Medical Center (EMC) keen in knowing if you are properly examined – Not by doctors, but by the security person watching you through the cameras.

It is rather shocking that Ernakulam Medical Center (EMC) is having complete surveillance on all areas except operation theatres and labor rooms. Last day, a lady associate from IBS Kochi was advised by the doctors to take a spinal X-ray. She was terrified and shocked to see a surveillance camera mounted high on the wall behind the X-ray table! Confirming with the nurses, it was proved that the camera was indeed working. No sign boards, no notice, just a good camera!

The associate and her husband informed the hospital authorities, but the Administrator responded rudely to them. The funniest thing was that the she informed them that the cameras were mounted to catch the staff sleeping on duty and challenged them to go ahead and handle this in any way they can.

The matter was elicited to Police authorities. They did the formal enquiry and found that the camera is indeed working and there is a dedicated person monitoring the feeds. The images are recorded and are kept for 5 days, after which new data rewrites the old one.

After all these hi-fi investigation, the result was rather pathetic. The lady was called to Police station to be consoled that the images cannot be misused since they were of low resolution with dim light condition! The matter is now escalated to DCP, for recommending the removal of cameras from the procedure rooms of the hospital.

As an after effect of the incident, now a formal notice is put in procedure rooms, informing the people that the area is under camera surveillance. Whether you choose to undergo the procedure in camera presence is your decision! Anyway the cameras will not be removed. May be, at least you can ask to turn off the lights before entering the procedure room from the changing room!

Or easiest of all – find another hospital where someone is not paid to watch you, but to treat you to the pink!