POWER OR NUISANCE VALUE

I was the only doctor posted on board INS vikrant.I used to do my job very sincerely and thus used to take rounds of pantries galleys and cook houses on a fairly regular basis.One day while walking to the sailors  cook house I saw the entire cookhouse and dining hall full of smoke of oil.On entering it I asked the chief cook what was the problem.He said that the exhaust motors of the three exhausts were not working and his staff was having a lot of difficulty frying 8000-9000 poories due to smoke.Vikrant had a staff of 1000 sailors and 200 officers. The cook house for sailors was below the sea level thus had to have a forced ventilation and exhaust system.

Since all the three motors for exhaust system were not working the entire cook house and dining hall was filled with smoke from the oil in which the cooks were frying "Poories".I was shocked to see the state and asked him why have you waited for all the three motors stopped.Actually at least one motor needs to be operational and two motors give a better ventilation

He said that they had complained to the electrical dept  when the first motor had stopped itself.But no one was listening.Since the cooks are class IV employees(NMER-non matric entry recruits) they come at the lowest rung of hierarchy no one listens to them.Neither they can stop cooking less they will get blanket treatment.(This is a type of punishment given in closed communities like on board ships where you put a thick blanket on a person and beat him.Since he is unable to identify who has done it there is no way he can redress it.) 

When I asked the deputy electrical officer why the motors were not repaired he told me that there were more pressing jobs like the A/c motor of the radar room and flight control office jobs were to be done.    

I cam back to my dept little frustrated and angry thinking as to what I can do.

In  the mean time two electrical engineers came for their promotion medical examination.(In Armed forced you are granted promotion only if you are medically fit).Without thinking twice I marked unfit on their medical forms and told them to leave.They were surprised (and also angry) by my action and asked how can i make them unfit without even examining them.I declared them mentally unfit(verbally and told them that they have failed in their jobs since they cant see the agony the cooks are undergoing.

Both the engineers left the medical dept hurt and angry and complained their HOD about the unjust treatment they had got.As expected I got a call from their HOD why they have been made unfit.I replied that I will not make them fit till the cook house exhausts are repaired.The HOD replied that "doc the exhaust motors have nothing to do with their fitness'

I replied that as a welfare officer it is my duty to look after the sailors and I will do whatever I consider fit even if it means using extra constitutional means and he is free to report this to the commanding officer if he wishes.

The catch here was-- he was in zone of promotion and any adverse comment from the commanding officer could have doe him.So he did not dare to take the matter to the CO(commanding officer).He also knew that I was a favourite officer of commanding officer.(I was not in the rat race as doctors have time scaled promotion.) So I used to be upright and tell whatever is truth.

As a result the HOD of electrical dept told both the engineers that their job for the day was to get the three exhaust motors and they need not do anything else for the day.

The result --All the three motors were repaired all the light and fans in cook house were repaired/replaced by afternoon.The cook house had a new look because as the lighting improved the dirt hitherto not seen was visible in cook house and dining hall. The chief cook in the afternoon made all the sailors to clean up the whole place and that place was shining now.

When both the electrical engineers came to me again, I promptly signed their promotion medical examinations congratulated them asked for cold drinks and snacks for them and explained to them the situation.To my surprise both of them were actually happy to help the sailors as they were not even aware of the problem.In a system the more influential people can get their jobs done easily and not so important persons are relegated behind.

After this episode the entire cooks and stewards were so happy with me I was really looked after for my entire tenure.In any party I was being treated like a VIP.Any corner of the party I may be standing i used to be served hot snacks and goodies.

Result--I gained 9 kg weight in 8 months.I was 56 kgs when I entered Vikrant and was 65 kg within the next 8 months.(I have managed to remain at that weight since last 22 years despite marriage, 2 kids and 40 + age)       
I FEEL IF YOU USE YOUR POSITION TO DO SOMEONE'S WELFARE IT AMOUNTS TO POWER BUT IF YOU USE IT TO HARRASE PEOPLE AND EXTRACT YOUR POUND OF FLESH IT AMOUNTS TO NUISANCE VALUE AND NOT POWER.. 

WORKING IN PSYCHIATRY

I had a chance to work in psychiatry dept after my internship and had a very valuable insight.
It was of immense help later.
While working in dockyard dispensary we had to go for the cell round at INS Angre where temporary offenders are kept and and INS Kunjali where persons undergoing punishment are kept.
I had a habit of stopping and talking to each and every offender to understand why he committed the offence.
While on round in INS Kunjali I was seeing a marathi sailor (Name probably Sambhaji pathre or so).I asked the cell in charge why he was punished.HE was punished for 60 days in jail for absent without leave.Thus I asked Sambhaji as to why he was absent.He said he does not remember.On getting suspicious when I prodded him further he just said that he was in Yerwada hospital and does not know the details.I decided to get to the root of the matter the details were shocking.  I realised that this sailor was in Yerwada mental hospital for over one year   admitted by his brother.He was from some village in Satara district.He had already lost his father in childhood and while he was on his annual leave his mother expired.In the shock of this he had an attack of schizopherenia.Thus due to his irrelaevant and irrational behaviour his brother admitted him to Yerwada mental hospital (at Pune).He was being treated there for over one year.When he recovered reasonably to regain his memory he told the doctors there that he is working with Indian navy.Thus they contacted the naval authorities who picked him up and got him to mumbai.since he was absconding for more than one year they court martialled him as he was not giving any satisfactory answers to their queries.HE was given a punishment of mulct(forefeiture) of pay and allownces for period of abscence and 60  days DQ detention in quarters(a term for jail sentence) with his job being kept intact being his first offence.
I refused to certify him to be fit to continue in the DQ and strongly recommended his transfer to psychiatry ward.Though with lot of resistance the sailor was transferred to psychiatry ward at INHS asvini (The 850 bedded naval hospital at Colaba Mumbai)where he underwent complete treatment and was absolved the charges from the court martial.
Why his brother did not inform naval authorities nor they bothered to see him in Yerwada hospital is really not known.May be the lure of property?
god only knows  

Another incidence when I was working as casualty medical officer two army police brought an middle aged gentleman for medical examination.He was a JCO(junior commissioned officer) Subedar who had put in 26 years of service and was about to retire after 6 months.He was brought for medical examination for fitness to be put in close custody(Equivalent to police custody awaiting trail).I felt something amiss.Someone who has put in 26yrs of blemish free service why would he run away? especially when he is anyway retiring.HE was brought back to mumbai by his grown up son who was working in Ahmadabad.The son also was accompanying him there.when I asked about his father's behavior the son said that he had noticed strange behaviour by his father.However he thought that his father was upset because his retirement was nearing.

Upon his mental status examination I realised that his answers were in-congruent and irrelevant. I realised there was something wrong and I declared him unfit for detention and to be referred to INHS Asvini psychiatry ward for admission.

The next day after his examination by the psychiatrist he was brought to my dept for CT scanning of brain where he was found to have a brain tumour(temporal lobe glioma).He was operated in INHS Asvini and was treated completely for the same.He was also absolved from a blemish in the last leg of his otherwise blemishfree service.

Working in psychiatry has given me very valuable lessons for life and medicine.