Kings and Queens in Hospitals

If a lay person is asked who is the most powerful person in a hospital, the answer would be Dean or Superintendent of the hospital. The most powerful person in a given department would be named as the Head of the department. The most powerful person in a given clinical unit would be named as the Head of the unit. But if the same question is asked to a junior Resident doctor in the unit, the answer would be Registrar of the unit. The head office decided we should have training in communication skills. So all employees (class I to IV) and others including resident doctors were pooled together and given training together. Attendance for these training workshop was compulsory. When we compiled a compliance report for this activity, we discovered that a few residents in my department had not attended this workshop. The reason given by the junior resident in my unit was that the Registrar told her to go only after she filled all discharges. By the time the discharges were filled, it was too late. I called her and heard the explanation from her myself. Then I called the Registrar and asked her why she had done this. She immediately said the junior Resident was lying and she had not stopped her from going. There was no way of knowing which one of the two was telling untruth other that subjecting them to a lie detector test. Since we don't have that facility, and it was too trivial a matter for such a major test, I decided to let go. But when the Registrar was not watching, the Houseman said in sign language (i.e. With gestures) that the Registrar had indeed stopped her. I knew by instinct it was the truth. I had known other things this particular Registrar had done in the past. I had caught other Registrars lying to save their own skin and hang the Housemen instead. I knew of a Professor who had prevented the Registrar from going to University examination supervision duty because there was a blunt curettage to be done for incomplete abortion, the the Professor felt too lazy to do it herself. So I told the Registrar that I did believe the houseman. I told her that if she repeated such behavior in future, I would take strict disciplinary action against her. She accepted that and went away. But the Houseman would not go away. She just stood there and started crying in front of me and three other professors. “What is the matter?” I asked her. “Sir, the Registrar will torture me” she sobbed. She was terrified. I knew this was the case, not only because she was crying, but also because this Registrar had treated another Houseman so badly in the past, that that person had reached the stage of committing a suicide. I called the Registrar again and told her, “I want you to understand that if you treat this Houseman badly, or torture her as she is afraid you will, I will report the matter to the Dean and the Ragging Prevention Committee. Please note that ragging is considered a criminal offense and the police take action against such offenders. The punishment is imprisonment and possibly suspension from college.” Then I turned to the sobbing Houseman and told her “if this Registrar troubles you in any way, do not be afraid. Call me and I will handle the problem. Remember that this does not give you permission to misbehave yourself. If you are found lacking in your duties in any way, the Registrar will report it to me.” Then I turned back to the Registrar and told her, “you do not have any authority to punish anyone for anything. You can just report the matter to me, and I will take whatever action that may be appropriate.” There is peace at present. But I don't think I have changed the status of Registrars from Kings/Queens to ordinary human beings.