I thought getting slippers for labor ward and operation theaters should be a simple matter. Keeping adequate stock and placing orders to supplier well in time should also be fairly easy, since the turnover is known. Well, things are not simple in a corporation hospital. There had been a time a few months ago, when almost everyone had started going into the labor ward wearing street footwear because there were no slippers. I had to do a lot of work do get the concerned persons to do their work to get a supply. After coming back from vacation last week, I found out that there were few slippers in the labor ward, and one had to enter the ward bare foot. I talked to the sister in charge of that ward, who pointed a finger at the stores clerk. I managed to find the stores clerk (the act deserves accolades!) and asked her the reason for the short supply.
“We have placed an order and the supplier will supply the slippers in due course” she said. That was a standard 'babu' type answer.
“But this is not a municipal ward office” I explained “where a delay in moving files is the rule and it does not perhaps matter very much. This is a hospital for patient care, and we cannot afford to have no supply of essential items. Buy some in open market and supply urgently.”
“I will speak to Dr. XXX, the Assistant Dean and see what can be done” she said. That meant nothing. It was another stalling tactic. It is a tragedy that a tertiary level hospital doctors are forced to do something like this to ensure that they get slippers to enter the labor ward or operation theater, while the concerned clerks and Assistant Deans go through life sitting in comfortable chairs in comfortable offices, not concerned about anything much.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Carry Your Own Slippers
I thought getting slippers for labor ward and operation theaters should be a simple matter. Keeping adequate stock and placing orders to supplier well in time should also be fairly easy, since the turnover is known. Well, things are not simple in a corporation hospital. There had been a time a few months ago, when almost everyone had started going into the labor ward wearing street footwear because there were no slippers. I had to do a lot of work do get the concerned persons to do their work to get a supply. After coming back from vacation last week, I found out that there were few slippers in the labor ward, and one had to enter the ward bare foot. I talked to the sister in charge of that ward, who pointed a finger at the stores clerk. I managed to find the stores clerk (the act deserves accolades!) and asked her the reason for the short supply.
“We have placed an order and the supplier will supply the slippers in due course” she said. That was a standard 'babu' type answer.
“But this is not a municipal ward office” I explained “where a delay in moving files is the rule and it does not perhaps matter very much. This is a hospital for patient care, and we cannot afford to have no supply of essential items. Buy some in open market and supply urgently.”
“I will speak to Dr. XXX, the Assistant Dean and see what can be done” she said. That meant nothing. It was another stalling tactic. It is a tragedy that a tertiary level hospital doctors are forced to do something like this to ensure that they get slippers to enter the labor ward or operation theater, while the concerned clerks and Assistant Deans go through life sitting in comfortable chairs in comfortable offices, not concerned about anything much.
