KATHMANDU: The issue of conducting media interviews inside an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was raised in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Samiksha Baskota questioned the practice of interviewing patients in critical care settings.
The controversy follows an interview conducted by media personality Suraj Singh Thakuri inside an ICU ward with individuals rescued from a tunnel during the floods in Rasuwa. Baskota questioned the ethical standards of allowing such interviews in a medical environment where patients are in a sensitive and complex condition.
She raised concerns regarding the boundaries of health journalism during disasters. Noting that even family members of patients are only permitted to enter the ICU under strict protocols and for limited durations, Baskota asked whether the presence of media personnel posed a risk to other patients in the ward.
‘Were there only two patients being interviewed, or were there other patients as well?’ she asked. ‘If there were other patients, is it acceptable to put their lives at risk?’
Baskota also questioned the judgment of the medical staff and relevant authorities who granted permission for the interview. ‘No content, interview, or views are more important than human life,’ she stated. ‘The practice of weighing human life against television ratings must be stopped.’
