11/11/2022
Cancer Hospital Dog Update.
11th November is 12.21 pm.
This is a long read, please bear with me. Im going to break this down, to understand the context.
A story went viral. From the many posts I saw, received, This what the posts / media / said.
In brief,
- dogs are severely beaten by security
- dogs are beaten to death inside the hospital
- one pregnant doggy was beaten to death and she birthed still born puppies abs succumbed to her injuries.
SALL didn’t share / comment or post about the incident because none of these stories were verified from people who were actually there and witnessed.
Today the 11th Of November Friday, we made a visit to the cancer hospital at 10.45am and we were there till 11.35am.
Let’s understand the context, because we cannot and should not isolate and incident instead strive to make sense of anything in totality, which makes our understanding more cohesive.
- Apeksha hospital known as Cancer hospital is the only National hospital in the island totally dedicated towards cancer patients
- it’s not a planned construction or layout instead it’s a MAZE of Adhoc construction, with various labyrinth of wards and buildings that have mushroomed
- these unplanned set up brings with it enormous challenges in terms of lack of parking, circulation and proper space required for a hospital therefore IT IS OVER CROWDED ALWAYS.
- the location is in a densely residential area of Maharagama, where the hospital does not have a complete secure peripheral wall right around. Whilst some areas are covered, there’s still plenty of ways for animals to get in and out.
- it’s poorly funded, where the whole system struggles to survive. When you go in there from the doctors to the nurses to its attendants to its basic janitors, everyone is not given the due necessities to do their job. I know from years of visiting, how each of these people try to do their level best with Very little.
- like any institution, this too is not without its politics. Not without its corrupt people, but there still lies good people trying to make the best of what they have.
How do I know this? I have been volunteering at the cancer hospital since 1998, that’s how I know. Over 23 years of going in and out, I know its areas by heart, so does my mother.
The animals.
- there has always been dogs / cats in and out of the hospital
- several animal organization have overtime
Done sterilization projects over the years
- due to lack of secure walls many outside animals come in for food, and make themselves at home inside the hospital
- so many times I have walked over dogs inside wards, under beds, seen dog / cat p**p in corridors Aswel as wards. This happens. Imagine how unhygienic it is.
- there has been recorded incidents of people dumping puppies and kittens at the hospital
- the dogs are territorial and occupy certain parts of the hospital, where they would attack others dogs if they break their mutual territories.
- dog fights I have seen, plenty of times
THE INCIDENT. Based on people who actually saw what happened on the 8th November night. ( we spoke to them
Today, and due to privacy reasons I shall not name them ).
- 8th night Security staff rounded some dogs around ward 21 area, and was seen beating them quite severely
- what caused this beating down: no one gave us one answer. So I will leave it as we don’t know.
WE COMPLETELY CANNOT CONDONE THIS INHUMANE ACT OF VIOLENCE towards innocent animals.
- some said dogs are extremely vigilant at night and attack staff or patients who walk in the dark, and this beating was caused by such an attack on a doctor where the said person called security for help and the beating happened.
PREGNANH DOG DYING DUE TO BEING BEATEN. Categorically untrue.
- we visited the mama doggy who is kept safe in an area with her two surviving pups. Fed and protected.
- those who witness the attack could not be exactly sure if the said pregnant dog was beaten.
- they also did not see her birthing the puppies that night.
WHAT WE THINK HAPPENED, based on what we saw today.
- she may have birthed soon after caused by the stress of being around tne beating. Or hearing other dogs cry in anguish.
- she has given birth inside a ward.
- dog loving matron / nurse of that said ward has also seen still born pups. But two healthy pups remain and she was feeding when we saw her at 11.30am.
- by 12.15 pm today EMBARK picked up this mother and her two pups and removed them from the hospital.
CONCLUSION.
- pregnant dog was not killed.
- don’t write long poems or share or get agitated without checking to verify an incident.
- social media is a powerful tool, let’s use it responsibly.
SALL vehemently condemn the beating of the animals, this should not have happened, such cruelty should not take place.
But we must also underhand,
It’s a hospital where very sick people are hanging to their lives, vulnerable and existing in an extremely under funded set up, where emotions are high, frustrations are higher and in a situation and context such as this,
- we can’t look at from just one point of view
- in the hospital the well-being of its patients is paramount
- no hospital would like to have animals inside and having to deal with animal f***s
- no hospital would encourage stray animals
I hope this shed light. I will also share pics of the dogs Some of whom still got the collar from the sterilization project we carried out two weeks ago.
