I was on my way home from the hospital. A very senior consultant boarded the bus just as it was about to leave, and sat down next to me. We chatted a little, about the same things two medical persons chat when they meet occasionally.
"Dr XXXXXX had come visiting recently" the consultant said.
"The preventive medicine person?" I asked.
"No, no. Anesthetist. She was in the same batch as you, she said."
"Oh, yes" I said. I remembered. The name had not made sense at first because I remembered her by her maiden name, while this consultant had referred to her name after marriage.
"How is she?" I asked conversationally.
"Oh, she is fine" the consultant said.
"Is she not in New Zealand?" I asked, straining my memory.
"Australia" the consultant said.
"What does she do?" I asked. There should have been no reason to ask. She should have been practicing anesthesiology. But some of the doctors I had known who had migrated to US had changed their specialties. One had gone from cardiac surgery to radiology. Another had gone from cardiac surgery to gynecology. Another had gone from gynecology to family medicine. Perhaps this one had changed her specialty too.
"She teaches in a school" the consultant said.
"Um..." I was confused. "A medical school, you mean?"
"She teaches children in a school" came the answer.
"But why?" I asked.
"She thought her child would do better in Australia than in India. She did not want to go through residency again in Australia, because she would not be able to give time to her child if she went through the residency".
I kept quiet. I thought of the 8.5 years spent on medical education, finally wasted. I thought of the national resources spent by the government so that she could get subsidized education, now wasted. I thought of loss of one more doctor for my country which needed doctors badly. I thought of the rumors of parental influence used to get her a couple of gold medals over other students who were considered more worthy then. To what end was all that? I thought and then could not think any more.
"Dr XXXXXX had come visiting recently" the consultant said.
"The preventive medicine person?" I asked.
"No, no. Anesthetist. She was in the same batch as you, she said."
"Oh, yes" I said. I remembered. The name had not made sense at first because I remembered her by her maiden name, while this consultant had referred to her name after marriage.
"How is she?" I asked conversationally.
"Oh, she is fine" the consultant said.
"Is she not in New Zealand?" I asked, straining my memory.
"Australia" the consultant said.
"What does she do?" I asked. There should have been no reason to ask. She should have been practicing anesthesiology. But some of the doctors I had known who had migrated to US had changed their specialties. One had gone from cardiac surgery to radiology. Another had gone from cardiac surgery to gynecology. Another had gone from gynecology to family medicine. Perhaps this one had changed her specialty too.
"She teaches in a school" the consultant said.
"Um..." I was confused. "A medical school, you mean?"
"She teaches children in a school" came the answer.
"But why?" I asked.
"She thought her child would do better in Australia than in India. She did not want to go through residency again in Australia, because she would not be able to give time to her child if she went through the residency".
I kept quiet. I thought of the 8.5 years spent on medical education, finally wasted. I thought of the national resources spent by the government so that she could get subsidized education, now wasted. I thought of loss of one more doctor for my country which needed doctors badly. I thought of the rumors of parental influence used to get her a couple of gold medals over other students who were considered more worthy then. To what end was all that? I thought and then could not think any more.
