We have a famous saying in Marathi, 'बाळाचे पाय पाळण्यात दिसतात'. Its literal translation into English would sound quite weird. But it means a small child shows all signs of what it will be and do when grown up. That was true about our undergrad students.
They hosted a national conference of all medical students. I was first approached by one girl. "We are hosting a conference" she said. 'We need help from you".
"How can I help you?" I asked.
"We want you to give us money for the conference" she said.
"From my salary?" I asked. Giving money to someone else's child for going to a conference was something I could not fathom. Did their parents know what their children were doing? Did their parents not make enough money to give to their children for this purpose?
"If not, you can give us money from the departmental developmental fund" she said. "Our chairman madam, an Assistant Professor in another department said so."
"Uh!" I said. "We collect money in that fund for development of the department. It cannot be used for students' conference."
"But we need money" she said.
"Well, you must have thought about it before you planned the conference" I said.
"We did. We thought we would get money from pharmaceutical companies."
"Well, I wish you all the best. But think of ethics before you take money from pharmaceutical companies" I said.
So getting money from others was OK? Taking money from Pharmaceutical companies (who give it for marketing) was OK? They seemed to be doing what the qualified doctors were doing in their conferences, no matter what the public opinion was about it, or what the government regulatory body said about it.
The next time one of them came to me was to ask me to allow them to remain absent from their clinical postings, so that they could attend the conference. The Boss had given them an OK for it. But when I started getting copies of that same permission letter every second or third day, and different students approaching me for it, I lost my patience. One day one girl walked into my office while I was trying to do multitasking (or the work would never get over), seated herself, and gave me a copy of the same letter again.
"OK. Give me a list of all who will attend the conference. I will instruct the heads of units to allow them to remain absent" I said.
"But there are too many" she said. "How can we make a list of them?"
"There are six units" I said. "Out of ten students in each unit, how many will go?"
"About six" she said.
"So it will be about thirty six students. Writing down thirty six names is no big deal. Get the letter signed by the chairman of the conference, that Assistant Professor, and give it to my clerk."
She went away with an uncertain look on her face. The next day I received a letter with three names on it, and there was no signature on it.
They seemed to be doing what their seniors (in age and qualification) seemed to be doing.
Finally the conference started. When I entered the gate and started going to the hospital building, I started seeing a lot of young guys wearing smart suits, hurrying about briskly in that sweltering heat. It was such a contrast to their informal clothes and usual no-hurry-to-go-anywhere gait, that I thought of their seniors who held their conferences in five star hotels, wore suits, and looked important. I thought of that Marathi saying I have quoted above.
They hosted a national conference of all medical students. I was first approached by one girl. "We are hosting a conference" she said. 'We need help from you".
"How can I help you?" I asked.
"We want you to give us money for the conference" she said.
"From my salary?" I asked. Giving money to someone else's child for going to a conference was something I could not fathom. Did their parents know what their children were doing? Did their parents not make enough money to give to their children for this purpose?
"If not, you can give us money from the departmental developmental fund" she said. "Our chairman madam, an Assistant Professor in another department said so."
"Uh!" I said. "We collect money in that fund for development of the department. It cannot be used for students' conference."
"But we need money" she said.
"Well, you must have thought about it before you planned the conference" I said.
"We did. We thought we would get money from pharmaceutical companies."
"Well, I wish you all the best. But think of ethics before you take money from pharmaceutical companies" I said.
So getting money from others was OK? Taking money from Pharmaceutical companies (who give it for marketing) was OK? They seemed to be doing what the qualified doctors were doing in their conferences, no matter what the public opinion was about it, or what the government regulatory body said about it.
The next time one of them came to me was to ask me to allow them to remain absent from their clinical postings, so that they could attend the conference. The Boss had given them an OK for it. But when I started getting copies of that same permission letter every second or third day, and different students approaching me for it, I lost my patience. One day one girl walked into my office while I was trying to do multitasking (or the work would never get over), seated herself, and gave me a copy of the same letter again.
"OK. Give me a list of all who will attend the conference. I will instruct the heads of units to allow them to remain absent" I said.
"But there are too many" she said. "How can we make a list of them?"
"There are six units" I said. "Out of ten students in each unit, how many will go?"
"About six" she said.
"So it will be about thirty six students. Writing down thirty six names is no big deal. Get the letter signed by the chairman of the conference, that Assistant Professor, and give it to my clerk."
She went away with an uncertain look on her face. The next day I received a letter with three names on it, and there was no signature on it.
They seemed to be doing what their seniors (in age and qualification) seemed to be doing.
Finally the conference started. When I entered the gate and started going to the hospital building, I started seeing a lot of young guys wearing smart suits, hurrying about briskly in that sweltering heat. It was such a contrast to their informal clothes and usual no-hurry-to-go-anywhere gait, that I thought of their seniors who held their conferences in five star hotels, wore suits, and looked important. I thought of that Marathi saying I have quoted above.
