It is hard to believe I have already written 14 posts on different attitudes, and still I find one more topic for the series. Well, it looks like this may not be the last attitude I may write on.
"Sir, we want to write case reports in JPGO, our journal" someone told me.
"That is nice" I said. "I started the journal and got it indexed only so that people could write scientific papers without having to spend any money."
"Yes, Sir. But none of us in our unit can."
"Why not?"
"Our unit head has taken possession of all our papers, and is not allowing us to publish any."
"Why?" I asked. "Your unit head had promised to send papers to our journal."
"He/she* wants to send all papers in his/her* name for getting an honorary MRCOG."
"Huh?" I said. I did not know MRCOG degree was conferred on anyone, like they give PhD degrees to even uneducated people, for having excelled in some sport or something. "I will ask your Boss" I said. I did ask him/her*, though I knew it would not be very fruitful.
"Of course I am sending papers to JPGO" he/she* said. "I am looking at the papers so that there are no errors in them."
We have published four issues of the journal so far at a rate of one per month. While all other units have got very good quality papers published in this journal, the faculty and Resident Doctors of this unit have not been able to send a single one. The faculty has remained without any credit, and the Resident Doctors do not have any scientific papers, though the health university requires that they have sent papers to indexed journals before they appear for their final examinations..
"Why do you think this unit head behaves like this?" someone asked me.
"Because he/she* is jealous" someone else answered when I did not offer any answer. "The attitude is that no one other than him/her* should get any importance."
That could be it, I thought. But personal feelings should not interfere with growth of others working under one, I thought.
"Can one not improve this person in any way?" someone asked.
"No. Trouble from such people ceases to be when they retire and go away, or pass away" a cynic among us said.
That sounded quite ruthless, I thought. I wondered if it was true.
(Note: * is for protecting identity of the person.)
"Sir, we want to write case reports in JPGO, our journal" someone told me.
"That is nice" I said. "I started the journal and got it indexed only so that people could write scientific papers without having to spend any money."
"Yes, Sir. But none of us in our unit can."
"Why not?"
"Our unit head has taken possession of all our papers, and is not allowing us to publish any."
"Why?" I asked. "Your unit head had promised to send papers to our journal."
"He/she* wants to send all papers in his/her* name for getting an honorary MRCOG."
"Huh?" I said. I did not know MRCOG degree was conferred on anyone, like they give PhD degrees to even uneducated people, for having excelled in some sport or something. "I will ask your Boss" I said. I did ask him/her*, though I knew it would not be very fruitful.
"Of course I am sending papers to JPGO" he/she* said. "I am looking at the papers so that there are no errors in them."
We have published four issues of the journal so far at a rate of one per month. While all other units have got very good quality papers published in this journal, the faculty and Resident Doctors of this unit have not been able to send a single one. The faculty has remained without any credit, and the Resident Doctors do not have any scientific papers, though the health university requires that they have sent papers to indexed journals before they appear for their final examinations..
"Why do you think this unit head behaves like this?" someone asked me.
"Because he/she* is jealous" someone else answered when I did not offer any answer. "The attitude is that no one other than him/her* should get any importance."
That could be it, I thought. But personal feelings should not interfere with growth of others working under one, I thought.
"Can one not improve this person in any way?" someone asked.
"No. Trouble from such people ceases to be when they retire and go away, or pass away" a cynic among us said.
That sounded quite ruthless, I thought. I wondered if it was true.
(Note: * is for protecting identity of the person.)
