Just heard the NL Hafta # 97 and ever since, a question has been baffling me. There was a very long discussion on Amma and her demise, with Sudhir also joining in with valuable inputs. I think this section was the longest single section ever discussed since Episode # 72 (when I started listening to Hafta). However, there was not a single reference to the corruption scandals and disproportionate assets case for which she has also been sent to Jail. Why I bring this up is simple. No news source (at least the ones I have read / watched) has mentioned anything about her misadventures, only choosing to focus on her stature as a God in Tamil Nadu. I was really hoping that Hafta would this was came out very disappointed. While her achievements and God like status may be true, she was no clean politician. And I feel there is definitely a need to generate enough content around her misadventures so that our future generations (especially from the North) don’t get a biased and one sided view of her achievements. Just do a simple google search on Pramod Mahajan and you will realize what I am talking about. Why is it that all obituaries of politicians (whether good, bad or ugly) always focus on the good? The death of a politician is usually the last time when a lot of content is generated on them, followed by a consistent decline. These are also the most widely read articles. So, effectively, in future, if people want to know about them, they will only be exposed to these positive articles & obituaries, which would be misleading.

Do you think that such corrupt politicians deserve positive legacies being left behind? Shouldn’t our future generations deserve to know a more balanced view?

While I don’t expect this letter to be read on Hafta, I really hope that you can devote a couple of minutes on Hafta # 98 to share your views on this.

Regards,

Ankur

Hello team NL,

One request- in case you read it out on air, hold off my name.

I was really intrigued by the discussion on expenditure for covering one story. And it made me even more aware of the urgency with which we should support independent media financially. Is it possible for us to sponsor (fully or partially) particular news items? I don’t know about the others, but I will be quite happy for shelling out money to uncover the secrets that the bad guys- the unscrupulous corporations/political leaders- want to push under the carpet badly. E.g., to cover that reliance staffer or the driver of the mining baron story- I am willing to pay, say around Rs. 50k at present- would surely like to contribute more in the near future (as my savings would permit). I understand that it may be a failure and there may not be another angle to the story in the end- but at least I would be happy that you tried (- that we tried). I am talking about something on the lines of ‘adopt an investigative story’ plan- do I make any sense here?

Next, I’ll stick to speaking about something I have a bit of idea of. Its regarding the recommendation debate between Prof. Andy (the cool prof) and Madhu ma’am pertaining to the cesarean section. While I respect the learned scientist’s view about the possible evolutionary change logic, Madhu madam’s belief, logic and mainly experience gets an upper hand here. She is spot on when she says that LSCS (aka C-section aka Caesarean) isn’t always done for a medial indication. And the survival of the previously genetically weaker kids cannot be solely contributed to the C-section (which frankly hasn’t changed much in the technique, except for the anaesthesia & bleeding control, since the times of J. Caesar; or Chanakya delivering Bindusara or even the birth of lord Hanumana if one believes the mythology).
The survival rates have increased exponentially for kids with all the other kind of anomalies than the babies with just a large head (which most of the time is a relative finding more attributable to the maternal nutrition status before and during the pregnancy than a true genetic trait). Most of the improved survival is due to advancement of medical science in general; and neonatology as a discipline and higher proportion of the institutional deliveries in particular. That particular paper is more speculative in nature with focusing on a few parameters and reaching a conclusions based on that. (We can wait for the professional critiques and peer review of the article, to get the official counter-opinion). But again, I do concede that it may be one of the possibilities.

I have a recommendation for everyone working in a stressful environment and feeling low or feeling that their work is not making a difference to anyone- you maybe suffering with a burnout, which is a real phenomenon to be taken seriously by the employees and the employers alike. I recommend you to listen to the NPR planet money podcast episode no. 740- Burnout; it will really be helpful.

Thanks,
R.

[I was supposed to be a subscriber, but was told recently that the payment did not go through somehow. I am trying to locate my credit card statement to find out what exactly happened earlier. So, I don’t know if I’m presently a mufatkhor or not].

Hi Hafta team,

My name is Shaunak and I am a doctor from Bombay currently doing my medical residency in Washington DC in the US.

I have been an addict of all the content generated by Newslaundry since I discovered Hafta 1y ago. Every friday night, even if I am working, I absolutely have to listen to you guys.

I have been a news junkie since childhood, but listening to you guys has really broadened my horizon, and I am THIS close to quitting medicine to be involved in the news space in some capacity or the other.

I have considered writing to you guys many times in the past. Most recently, my blood boiled as a true Mumbaikar when we were all being trashed as an indifferent species. But I was sure you guys would get a lot of feedback for that! (As you did)

However, I write this email while I am listening to Episode 97. The discussion regarding Jayalalithaa and the circumstances around her death made me cringe. I know you guys are not in the field of medicine and it is not the focus of your Hafta but it just put out a lot of wrong information to all your listeners, which compelled me to write in to you.

From what the guest on your show said, sounds like Jayalalithaa was suffering from ARDS which is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. It is not a symptom but a disease by itself which usually arises as a complication from either Pneumonia (which she was reported to have) Vs sepsis. Like Mr Sudhir mentioned, it has a very high fatality rate, and none of the patients I have taken care of so far in the US, have successfully overcome it. However, she appears to have been successfully cured from it, albeit with the residual of a tracheostomy tube (tiny tube placed in the neck to keep the wind pipe open). When a patient has so many comorbidities and is so sick, it is not unusual for the heart to be under severe stress, which explains the episode of cardiac arrest she had.

This is where I wanted to clarify a couple of points. When a patient has cardiac arrest, they are not only given shocks as Madhu maam mentioned, but also given chest compressions which is a very brutal procedure which involves using entire upper body strength to push down on the breast bone to make the heart underneath it squeeze blood. As regards the duration of CPR, there is no limit to how long you can give CPR to someone. While 40min does seem excessive (given the brain damage which sets in within minutes of anoxia) it is by no means unusual. Given her stature in the public eye (i am no fan), it is not surprising that the doctors wanted to do every possible thing to bring her back. The maximum amount of CPR I have ever given is 1h 10mins.

As regards neurologic recovery, that is never assessed immediately. The brain can sometimes go into hibernation after a cardiac arrest, so the standard protocol is to check for brain death 24-72h after the episode occurs. ECMO is a very useful tool which may have saved her, but given her brain death would have been futile anyway!

Sorry I have bored you guys with this medical jargon but it is something I feel very passionate about. I want the right information to be out there for multiple reasons. 1. Would hate it if the the doctors’ professional judgement was questioned by all your listeners based on incorrect information. 2. Outside of India, decisions about end of life care are very important. It determines who does or does not go through the brutality of these traumatic/invasive procedures given that the chance of recovering from a cardiac arrest by good quality CPR is approx 5%, and that too in a relatively healthy person. Unfortunately in our country there is not much awareness in the general public about these procedures which can make the difference between life and death.

I understand that your listeners dont tune in to you for your medical expertise, which makes it even more important that this misinformation be corrected. Maybe get a doctor to join you guys, the next time you have a discussion about medicine (Hint: Me)

Sorry about that rant. Before Abhinandan asks, And I have not been able to subscribe while I live on a meagre stipend here! But looks like I will soon have to, once Hafta goes behind the subscription wall 🙁 Its a disease!

Keep up the fantastic work. You guys are an inspiration. No offense to all the amazing people on the Hafta team, but Manisha is my absolute favourite. She must speak more, (or start her own podcast?)

Also, how do you guys feel about hiring a doctor who has no experience or training in journalism? 😀

Much love,
Shaunak Kulkarni MD