"Sir, the intercom telephone connection in the Gynec OT is dead" a staff member complained to me.
"I know" I said. "I have been communicating with the electrical engineer for more than two months. He cannot do it."
"Then who can?"
"He said he would have to call the contractor who did the job" I said "and he seems unable to do so."
"But how do we communicate with the blood bank, intensive care units, wards, and other specialty doctors when there is an urgent need?" that person asked. "We have to change into street clothes to go out and make the phone calls."
"I can see some patient getting seriously ill or worse, because of this delay" I said.
"They have banned the use of mobile phones in OTs, or we could have used our mobile phones" that person said. It was true. Boss' Boss had taken out a circular to that effect, so that people would concentrate on work rather than talk on mobiles. Someone had said that time that they should make the intercom system functional before implementing such a rule. Well, policymakers will be policymakers (like they say boys will be boys).
"So no intercom, and no mobile phones!" that person exclaimed in frustration.
"It reminds me of a saying in Marathi" I said. "आई जेवायला वाढेना, आणि बाप भीक मागू देईना. Its free translation into English would be: mother does not feed us, and father does not allow us to beg for food. So be it. I have written a complaint against the electrical engineer to the Boss, explaining the whole situation, and suggesting getting outside help if the work cannot be done in house" I said.
"So what happened?"
"The Boss had referred the matter to the same electrical engineer for doing the needful."
"Huh?"
"Yeah!" I said.
"I know" I said. "I have been communicating with the electrical engineer for more than two months. He cannot do it."
"Then who can?"
"He said he would have to call the contractor who did the job" I said "and he seems unable to do so."
"But how do we communicate with the blood bank, intensive care units, wards, and other specialty doctors when there is an urgent need?" that person asked. "We have to change into street clothes to go out and make the phone calls."
"I can see some patient getting seriously ill or worse, because of this delay" I said.
"They have banned the use of mobile phones in OTs, or we could have used our mobile phones" that person said. It was true. Boss' Boss had taken out a circular to that effect, so that people would concentrate on work rather than talk on mobiles. Someone had said that time that they should make the intercom system functional before implementing such a rule. Well, policymakers will be policymakers (like they say boys will be boys).
"So no intercom, and no mobile phones!" that person exclaimed in frustration.
"It reminds me of a saying in Marathi" I said. "आई जेवायला वाढेना, आणि बाप भीक मागू देईना. Its free translation into English would be: mother does not feed us, and father does not allow us to beg for food. So be it. I have written a complaint against the electrical engineer to the Boss, explaining the whole situation, and suggesting getting outside help if the work cannot be done in house" I said.
"So what happened?"
"The Boss had referred the matter to the same electrical engineer for doing the needful."
"Huh?"
"Yeah!" I said.
