We Get What We Deserve

“Sir, did you hear Dr XXX got selected for promotion as Associate Professor?” “Huh?” I could not hide my surprise. “That too with just 5 years of teaching experience, going ahead of another lecturer who has 10 years’ experience.” “How?” I asked. “That post is reserved for that category.” “Ah!” I said. “Sir, but it is not fair.” “…” Who was I to comment on fairness of the constitution of the country? “Sir, how can they promote someone who perforated the jejunum during laparoscopy? Jejunum! Lower bowel, I can understand. But jejunum?” There was some point in what this lecturer was saying. The upper bowel perforation is not expected during laparoscopy. “But we had one associate professor perforate the jejunum during laparoscopy too. That patient died. And that AP was not there by virtue of reservation” I pointed out. “Sir, there is more. This one had perforated the ileum at 4 places and the sigmoid colon at one place during an MTP perforation of the uterus once. One uterine perforation, four ileal perforations and one sigmoid colon perforation in the same case?” “We had an Honorary Professor with us who had perforated the uterus at six places during an MTP. That one was of open category. This can happen at any one’s hands” I said. “Sir! Did you know this lecturer had put a Sims’ speculum into a patient’s rectum for cutting a suture that had passed through the rectum during suturing of an episiotomy?” I was dumbstruck. One could pass a proctoscope into the rectum, but a Sims’ speculum was beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. I wondered how that poor patient had withstood that. ‘Hats off to someone who could think of this one and carry it out too’ I could have said had it not been that painful to the poor patient. “Well, I cannot comment on the wisdom of the selection process. It is the system. But I will say one thing. The society gets the doctors in public sector it deserves, just like it gets the government it deserves.” I think the complainant must have found my logic unbeatable, because he went away without saying another word.