Monday, September 6, 2010

COURAGE - 64 DAYS INTO A HUNGER STRIKE

Courage, these days, is not as rare as we would like to think. Raj Bhat, a pharmacist, dared to challenge his former employer, Medco-a Fortune 500 company with 2009 revenues of $59.8 Billion USD (Wikipedia). He (and other pharmacists) filed a complaint with the Florida Board of Pharmacy. He was subsequently fired. His is a timely story as we observe Labor Day. Today is the 64th day of his hunger strike in an unfolding story with Medco. Follow his story at http://ihungerstrike.blogspot.com/ Perhaps, courage is Raj Bhat.


THE 64th DAY OF A HUNGER STRIKE
for Raj Bhat

On the 64th day of a hunger strike
An apple still waits a bite.
For the one-eyed giant, it’s a numbers game
And we are numbers. Numbers that think
Numbers have souls; numbers have names
And tongues to taste a wounding of silence
On the 64th day of a hunger strike
who can quiet Gandhi’s unquiet?

© Sasenarine Persaud

2 comments:

Rajendra "Raj" Bhat RPh said...

I thank Mr. Persaud for posting my fight on this blog. Pharmacists are at a crucial point in relation to the challenges posed on the Practice of Pharmacy in the interest of PATIENT HEALTH & SAFETY.

Today is the 96th day of my fast. I urge the readers to visit by blog at "ihungerstrike.blogspot.com", get more facts and read my recent postings 1.My Final Message 2.Justice delayed is Justice Denied and 3. WHAT YOU CAN DO

I urge the readers to participate in a healthy debate by voicing your opinions in the form of comments on my blog. Every voice counts. You can make a difference.

Unknown said...

On Oct 17, 2010, I read a Washington Post article titled, “For many foreclosure processors, speed equaled money, rewards, penalties imposed for moving slowly” by Arlana Cha and Zachary Goldfarb. It states that, ‘Law firms competed with one another …and were paid for volume, so they processed as many as they could, leaving little time to read the paperwork and catch errors. … The system was so automated and so inflexible that once a foreclosure process began, homeowners and consumers advocates say, there was often no way to stop it…. This was a systemic problem…and pervasive and everyone knew about it. ---Speed and profit were emphasized over fairness to homeowners”. Now the state and federal law enforcement officials are conducting a fraud investigation.

Similar situation exists at this time at Medco Health Solutions, one of the largest mail order pharmacies in the United States, says Raj Bhat in his blog. Speed and profits are emphasized over pharmacists sworn duty to patients and their safety by imposing a quota system.

In the corporate interests of perceived efficiency and profits, does a pharmacist have to ignore his sworn oath to put their patients first and be just a technical robot without applying professional judgment and ones own conscience? Does a conscientious pharmacist like Raj Bhat, has to resort to a hunger strike jeopardizing his health and his life? Do many more patients like Emily Jerry have to die from incorrectly dispensed medications before authorities investigate the grave danger to the public and put a stop to this dangerous practice?

Responsible authorities should take action NOW before people we know suffer from wrongly dispensed medications.