Another AIIMS Delhi Ward Boy

 

As explained in the previous post, ward boys are the least educationally qualified and lowest level of workers in the hospital.

https://agnipathdoctors.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-aiims-delhi-ward-boy.html 

In the Cardio-thoracic (CTVS) operation theater (OT) of AIIMS, New Delhi there was an extremely intelligent ward boy. This exceptionally bright ward boy learned to operate the heart-lung machine and started working as the perfusionist in Dr. Bhaba Nanda Das’s OT. Now there are various official courses, from 2 to 4 years, to become a perfusionist even in India. But at that time there was no official course and in most cases, the person become trained on the job, while working.

For non-medicos: During cardiac (heart) surgery such as CABG or ‘bypass grafting’ the heart is stopped and the blood is sent from the body to the ‘Heart-Lung Machine’ which functions as both the heart and lung of the patient. This is very demanding work, both physically and mentally, with the perfusionist having to constantly monitor and take action according to the patient’s blood pressure, oxygen saturation, what is the stage of surgery, and even feedback from the anesthesiologist.

Dr. Bhaba Das was a perfectionist and a world-class surgeon who expected the same level of expertise from his supportive staff. Not many could work at the standard desired by him. But this ward boy by his expert management during the cardiac surgeries become his preferred perfusionist. Although he was working as a perfusionist the ward boy was receiving a salary the same as other ward boys.

Sometime later, Dr. Bhaba Das received an offer from a private hospital chain to join their Delhi hospital. Dr. Bhaba Das left AIIMS, New Delhi, and took his entire OT team with him, such as the nursing staff and this ward boy to work as his perfusionist in the private hospital.

Along with Dr. Bhaba Das, this perfusionist also received a handsome package. His new monthly salary was now four times what he was receiving in AIIMS Delhi. In fact, his new salary was more than an assistant professor working in AIIMS.

This incident demonstrates some very important points:

On-the-job learning: The ward boy started at the lowest post in the hospital, yet with his intelligence and passion to learn something new he learned to operate the ‘heart-lung machine’ and become a highly skilled perfusionist.

Keep on giving your best no matter what is the immediate reward: The ward boy received just a ward boy’s salary while he was at AIIMS Delhi, yet he kept on working as the perfusionist that too as a good one, who could satisfy even Dr. Bhaba Das.

In the government organization or setup, all persons get the same pay for the same post, even though some of them could be much more proficient or doing a much higher level of work. This difference between the government and private sector is partially responsible for the lackluster performance of many government employees.

When you get a better opportunity take it. The perfusionist along with the nursing staff left AIIMS and joined the new place and got a much-increased salary.

Like Dr. Bhaba Das, take your entire team with you when joining a new place, company, or organization. This way there are fewer things to adjust in the new setup.

Negotiate an increased package not just for you but also for each member of your team. They are then more likely to follow you leaving their old job. This will also increase their work satisfaction and loyalty to you.

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incident.)

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms.

The AIIMS Delhi Ward Boy

 

The ward boys and ward maids are a generalized term used for the hospital assistants in India who do not have any professional qualifications and are unskilled workers with lesser education, usually up to the high school (10th Standard) level. They do work like pushing the patient’s stretchers, taking the blood samples to the lab, bringing investigations reports from the lab, bringing ward supplies from the hospital central store, etc. They are categorized as 4th class staff, the lowest level of workers in the hospital employment hierarchy, with doctors occupying the top-class level.

Many years after Dr. Dev (fictional name) had left AIIMS, New Delhi, he had to go there as one of his friend’s relatives was getting operated on there. That friend stayed with his relative in the deluxe ward as the patient’s attendant.

When Dr. Dev visited him, his friend remarked, ‘AIIMS is truly a center of excellence. It is not just the doctors and the nursing staff but even the ward boys of AIIMS Delhi are in a class of their own. Compared to the ward boys in government hospitals in my state, the ward boys of AIIMS are well trained, super-efficient in their work, give an overall feeling of being competent in whatever they are doing, are well dressed, and have a confident look and body language'.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to give us insight into our own world. When Dr. Dev was at AIIMS, Delhi, first as an MBBS student and then as a resident doctor, he had naturally believed that the excellence of AIIMS is only due to the doctors working there. 

The faculty and resident doctors indeed play a big role in achieving and maintaining the world-class level of AIIMS Delhi, but all the staff from the nursing staff, the para-medical staff, the maintenance staff and down to the sweepers, the sanitary workers, the janitors, and the ward boys have a superior level which helps to achieve and maintain the overall high standard of AIIMS Delhi.

A truly world-class institute, organization, or company cannot become and stay world-class without extra-ordinary effort and output at all levels of its employees right from the top management to its lowest level of janitorial and supportive staff.

To see the true standard or quality of an institute or company don’t just look at its top-level staff but look at the caliber of its lowest level of staff.

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incident.)

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms. 

The Professor Sneh Bhargava Parley

 

Around 30 years ago, one morning when Dr. Dev (fictional name) was still an MBBS student at AIIMS, New Delhi, a few of his junior resident doctor friends asked him to come with them. The resident doctors were going to meet Professor Sneh Bhargava who was the Director of AIIMS, Delhi at that time. 

Professor Sneh Bhargava was the first female radiologist in India and the only female director of AIIMS, Delhi in its history.

The resident doctors were going to argue about some points regarding the patient’s benefit. Although, Dev did not exactly know what the point was, but he was always ready to help his friends in a good cause and he was curious to see Professor Sneh Bhargava at a close distance, so he readily agreed.

The group of junior residents with Dev reached the Director’s office. Without taking permission from her secretary they directly barged into her office. Once inside, Dev stayed at the back of the crowd and watched with interest the interaction between Dr. Sneh Bhargava and the residents.

Dr. Sneh Bhargava looked up at this unannounced intrusion in her sanctum, a fleeting look of anger appeared on her face, but it quickly disappeared as if it had never been there.

Very politely she asked who were they and what could she do for them. The residents informed her that they were junior resident doctors in AIIMS and they put forward their demand.

After listening to their demands, from her looks it appeared she was not convinced by their arguments, but again with an agreeable look on her face, she replied, ‘Okay, I will look into the matter. I will see what I can do. I will appoint a committee to look into the issue and solve it.’

The residents wanted her assurance then and there that she will agree to their demand. Again she assured them that she will look sympathetically into the matter, and suddenly asked them, ‘Your salary must also have increased with the new pay commission?’ The junior resident doctors were surprised at that question but agreed that their salary had indeed increased.

Professor Bhargava asked, ‘Then most of you must have now come under the income tax-paying category?’ Again the resident agreed that they will now have to pay income tax with the increased salary.

Professor Bhargava inquired, ‘Have you thought about saving income tax by tax planning and making use of the various deductions provided by the government?

The residents replied that they have not given it much thought. Dr. Sneh Bhargava offered, ‘if you want then I will ask the account section to arrange a talk by a Chartered Account for you residents so that you can save the maximum amount of money on tax.’ The residents readily agree that it will be indeed useful and asked her to please arrange at the earliest.

Finally, the resident doctors who had barged into Prof. Sneh Bhargava's office full of fire and fury against the AIIMS administration came out docile and thinking about saving their own money in income tax. This was the magic of Prof. Sneh Bhargava

When faced with an angry, stay cool and calm. Don’t try to fight fire with fire.

Even if you don’t agree, instead of straightway denying and antagonizing the mob, defer making a spot decision, push the matter to the future, and refer the issue to a committee or group of experts.

To bring people to your side, talk about something profitable to them and which increases their money.

Two webpages with more information on Prof. Sneh Bhargava:

 https://www.rsna.org/news/2018/november-december/meeting-experience/bhargava-2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneh_Bhargava

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incident.)

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Tit-Bits — The first CT scan machine was installed in AIIMS, New Delhi in 1977, and the first ultrasonography machine was installed one year later in 1978, by Prof. Sneh Bhargava’s effort.

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms.

The French Cut Beard Doctor

Dr. Dev (fictional name) met his friend from AIIMS, New Delhi after a long time. His friend had shifted to his hometown to do private practice after completing his post-graduation from AIIMS.

Dr. Dev was surprised to see that his friend was now sporting a ‘French Beard’ or ‘French Cut Beard’. During his entire stay at AIIMS, his friend had always been clean shaved. Dr. Dev could not stop himself from asking his friend for the new style.

His friend replied, ‘On shifting to my home town, although I was well qualified and experienced due to my higher studies at AIIMS, but to my patients and even colleagues I appeared young and inexperienced. You know that a clean-shaven face makes you look younger.' 

'In contrast, a beard gives you a mature and experienced look. It makes you appear as having superior knowledge and expertise in your field. All this helps in quickly establishing good practice and clientele in private practice. So I adopted a bearded look after remaining clean-shaven for my entire life in AIIMS.’

‘But why the ‘French Cut’ and not just a full beard?’ Dr. Dev wanted to know who was not fully satisfied with his friend’s explanation.

His friend elucidated, ‘A full beard may make you look too old or aged. You may look outdated and out of sync with the modern world and medical science. You may appear careless if the beard is not well kept and groomed.’

‘So as to balance between appearing too young or too old, inexperienced vs. outdated, a neatly maintained French cut beard with well-shaved rest of the face was a good option.’

Not just doctors but many other professionals adopt the French cut beard early in their career for that experienced, mature, but well-groomed appearance to quickly impress their patients and clients, and even their employers. 

— ND

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms.