EDITORIAL - ­­Time to shape up

The incident involving a nurse at a maternity house plastering an infant's mouth shut because the baby was crying noisily brings to mind an incident not very long ago about doctors and nurses caught on video making fun of a person whose sexual preference resulted in an aerosol can getting stuck in his anus.

Both incidents involved medical practitioners, licensed professionals whom the public normally depends on for their medical and health care. The nature of their chosen calling makes these professionals no less than second parents to anyone.

They are hardly people anyone would remotely refer to as ogres. Unfortunately, there are times when they fit the description aptly. And in both the above-mentioned instances, they deserve the name. And they must be punished for giving the profession, and the rest of their colleagues such a bum rap.

The initial reaction of people on hearing of the plastering of the baby's mouth was one of disbelief. What in the world got into the nurse's head, people would ask. And then it would inevitably dawn on everyone that, as a professional, the nurse knew exactly what she was doing.

But the incident is actually a blessing in disguise. At least it has brought out into the open certain practices and attitudes that have no place in the medical and nursing professions. This had been an expose that took so long in coming.

Many young ladies who are now themselves nurses and who, at some point in their internships had been assigned to this maternity, would swear about the unprofessional attitudes of some employees there. They would recall their stint there as one of the worst in their training.

It is good that a number of concerned parties have stepped into the picture to ensure that the matter is addressed properly. The last thing anyone wants is for the matter to be swept under the rug and the culprits to go unpunished.

And because this is the second of the sort to go public, thanks to the availability of technology and the swiftness of social media, maybe this should also serve as a reminder to the concerned professionals to shape up and ship out those who don't.