SILENT, ISOLATED and INSULATED
A doctor's story of amusement, not anguish, not anger.
“The world suffers a lot
Not because of the violence of bad people
But because of the silence of good people.”
- Napolean
Friendship is my weakest point. The word “hermit” may come to the mind when somebody sees my way of behaviour and living. I keep myself out of the loop. I am a loner -- silent, isolated and insulated. I am alone, yet part of the larger scheme of things. I am a titular head (formal and nominal figurehead without having involvement, responsibility, authority or power, which I do not want to have, anyway) of a home and a hospital at present -- a titular king of 'Ramaprasad Multispecialty Hospitals' (RMH) which is, in a way, a contrast to my differently-oriented 'PAY WHAT YOU CAN' Clinic (PWYCC) where there is no fixed fee, and the patient may pay whatever she / he can pay. -- read about this clinic in the link below:It is comforting and embarrassing as well. The British QUEEN is the TITULAR HEAD of the Church of England though she has nothing to do with the routine activities of the church.
I wouldn’t say boo to a goose. I do not talk much too. Reticence is my characteristic feature. I am so reticent that people may misunderstand me as being proud and arrogant. But, my writings may make a lot of noise and nuisance as well. They are also a cause for fierce arguments, polemic fights, a frenzy of rage, misunderstandings, bitterness and what not ? They may provoke, and make many squirm in their seats, and may raise Cain and earn scorn. They may prick inflated egos. But I am silent, isolated and insulated, having my own world.
SILENCE
True wisdom lies in keeping silent, not in engaging in chaotic gossip; in silently keeping in touch with our Frontal Cortex of brain (cognitive area), not the Broca's area (speech area). Quietening of the cacophony of the tongue and silently investing in inner thoughts is the core principle of meditation. That sets the stage to embrace the beauty in small things. Detaching from wasteful talk reveals the ecstasy of silence. And, SILENCE is the language of GODS. Don't mind the noise of barking DOGS. Invest in silence, thoughtful silence.
WISDOM
Now, with the wisdom gained over half-a-century, I have learnt not to argue when someone says that all dogs have only three legs. I beg not to differ. Because it's a waste of time, and an exercise in futility to argue with dogmatic, egoistic and arrogant people full of hubris and hegemony. Avaricious, sly and manipulative persons outwit any reason. I don't understand them just as I don't understand the nuances of the art pieces of the impressionist and impasto artists such as Claude Monet and Van Gogh !
PARODY
I am writing the following for you to enjoy reading some odd things which arose out of my silence, isolation, insulation, aloofness, indifference, quirky nature and aberrant attitude ... just a mix of facts, embellishments, hypocrisy, satire, cynicism, amusement, humour and a parody seen through a lens of travesty of behaviour. Don't read in between the lines ! May be esoteric. I am silent, but my pen may roar. For politeness sake, sometimes a silencer is mounted on the gun (pen). Perhaps, as Vega put it in an oxymoron, I am a SILENT THUNDER !
OUT OF THE LOOP
Ads made me know of the final decision on the naming of the hospital that bears my name: Ramaprasad Multispecialiy Hospitals (RMH). I didn't like my name to be associated with any establishment which sounds primarily and inevitably oriented to business. Inevitably, because a multi speciality hospital has to be business-oriented for it to be economically viable.
I was as pleased as Manmohan Singh when he was made a prime minister. In fact, it would be incongruous to associate my name which has long been acclaimed to be connected with the service-oriented 'PAY WHAT YOU CAN CLINIC' (PWYCC). An antithesis. As such, I kept myself with no involvement in the RMH whatsoever.
I kept myself out of the loop so much that I had to introduce myself to the ‘Emergency and Critical Care Physician’ of RMH, Dr. Mohan Raj, during a luncheon party on one ‘Aayudha Puja Day’ when I came to know that he was appointed some time back in 'our' hospital (RMH) ! And, long time after he resigned, I came to know that he left the hospital. I was as pleased as Christopher Columbus when he discovered the “New World” of the Americas !
I am an inveterate non-conformist. I didn't keep track of things. The 'Nursing Superintendent / Matron', Luth Mary, contributed her bit of amusement to me when I learnt from her that she was appointed some time ago in 'our' hospital.
Usually, the first hint of any medical camp conducted here comes to me from the hoardings on the roadside and handbills. Belonging to the old school, I feel a tad embarrassed to see my name tagged to such things of 'publicity and advertisement'. It's an anathema to the older generation which rates such activity as undignified.
And more … and many more amusements. I enjoy all this fun by the virtue of keeping myself aloof always. Sometimes, my 'Post Office' (my better half) acts as a conveyer of information ! And thus my writing may be a tad sprinkled with embellishments and distortions as news trickles to me through her.
And one more humour script. On the evening of September 5, 2017, I came out of the house to go to the clinic. There was a new face by the side of our 'watchman'. I asked the stranger as to who he was. "Your driver," he said ! Then I wanted to know his name. He said 'Murugan'. I thought that 'Lord Murugan' sent this Murugan to put an end to our endless prayers to the Lord over decades to be blessed with a full-time driver ! I was as pleased as having Lord Murugan's darshan ! All these years we were engaging 'Acting Drivers' as we didn't have the divine blessings for a full time driver. Then I went inside our home to share this 'Lord Murugan Miracle'. I was a tad disappointed as the news didn't evoke much of a pleasant surprise to my better half and the two relatives from Mysore who were present there at that time. I learnt that they all already knew that Murugan was appointed a few days ago !!! Hats off to my aloofness !!! My 'Post Office' also didn't keep me on the loop !
Then came Ammu, in 2018, who introduced herself as the Nursing Superintendent of 'our' hospital who joined a few weeks earlier. The same was the case with 'our' General Manager.
The following also may make interesting reading due to its oddity -- the right eye specialist may not be aware of what the left eye specialist is doing for the left eye ! On June 10, 2018, I was about to enter into my clinic chamber when somebody wished me. I invited him to come inside my chamber. He introduced himself as an ENT specialist who came to 'our' hospital to conduct an ENT camp. I told him that I didn't know about the camp and enquired as to when it would be conducted. He said that it was over in the morning, and that he was leaving. I clarified to him that I didn't know about the camp as I usually keep myself out of the loop, and aloof from mundane matters. Noticing his bewilderment, I enlightened him that this was normal here, and wished him good luck.
What a beautiful heart-shaped cluster of flowers. No, not a photo taken from Google images ... it is on the roadside of "our hospital." This evening (13.1.2021), I came out onto this road to see these flowers once again when an unknown gentleman wished me. I casually asked about his education. He said he studied M.E. Then I asked "what job are you doing ?" He said "I am the PRO in your hospital." Then, I learnt that he was working in an engineering college earlier. His designation here and his qualification made me ruminate on two subjects. 1. Shambolic set-ups. 2. Unemployment. I wrote on my blog on both these subjects. For now, I shall give a link to the 2nd subject.
April 1, 2022 -- After many such events as the ones mentioned above during the past several years, today, I enjoyed one more. While I was in my consultation chamber, someone invited me to join a function in the reception hall adjacent to my chamber saying that it was to inaugurate a 'paramedical institute' which would be a unit of 'our' hospital. I didn't have an inkling of opening of such an institute. It flashed across my mind whether the invite was to fool me, as today is the "All Fools' Day" (April 1). I went out to check. It was real. There was a gathering and a seating arrangement in place. The organisers spoke about the restarting of the 'paramedical institute' (which was started in 2015 and was defunct for several years) and distributed handbills. Then I was requested to address the gathering. A few sentences of empty rhetoric rolled off my lips, even without knowing what this new institution was about. I was as happy as Donald Trump who 'repurposed' Hydroxychloroquine as a game changer in the treatment of COVID-19, even without studying medicine.
April 8, 2022 -- Then, close on its heals, on April 8, 2022, somebody walked into my chamber to say that he had been the Duty Medical Officer by the name Kishore who joined 'our' hospital recently. Again, there was a 'Medical Camp' at 'our' hospital on May 29, 2022 about which I came to know a few days after it was conducted ! That's how I keep myself in a different world -- my own world. Even Trump was not informed of lakhs of Covid deaths in the US, lest he would blast them, and say again "it's what it is, it would go away."
Eight months passed by with many of such amusements, and handbills and hoardings of cheap publicity. It seemed that the good old dignity of the profession gave way to the modern business practice. And 2023 set in.
January 5, 2023 -- on this date, I was standing on the road in front of the RMH. Somebody wished me saying "Good morning sir, I am working here." After questioning, I came to know that he was earlier the 'Human Resources Manager' of some centre who was just appointed in RMH ! I was as surprised as of coming to know that China abruptly abandoned its 'zero-covid' policy.
March 8, 2023 -- International Women's Day -- On this day I met three new faces who were said to be working in important posts in RMH for sometime. One of them took the video attached below.
I said something like this: "I don't want to lecture for one simple reason. Most of the utterances, on most of these 'International Days', are mostly ritualistic. Rhetoric -- ritualistic rhetoric and empty rhetoric -- rolls off the lips generously, every year, without any credible follow-up. And, most of the theatrical activity dissipates quickly, much like the fizzling out of the effervescence from a soda bottle. Next day, it would be the 'business as usual'. One who follows up these acts can visualise a great scenario of farcical dimensions. Let's leave the hypocrisy, talk less and do more for the welfare of women in the next one year and evaluate on March 8 of 2024. Until then, goodbye !"
March 13, 2023 -- In connection with the International Women's Day, RMH seems to have done some service at an engineering college the details of which I don't know -- RMH still being hamstrung by a strange quirk of fate, if not a shoddy management.
March 26, 2023 -- One pillar of the RMH left; seemed to be out of frustration at workplace.
April 4, 2023 -- One Dr. Shalini introduced herself to me today as a full-time doctor working in RMH for the previous few months. That's how 'our' RMH keeps me informed.
April 23, 2023 -- Today, I came to know that two of my very close relatives arrived a few weeks back after a 6-month-stay abroad, and my 'post office' (better half) also didn't inform me. Not unusual, going by the history. Many more are going to happen; that's normal here -- normally imperfect. ( And, 'normally', on October 20, 2023, I learnt that they left to the US about a week back ! And my 'post office' informed me that they came back to India on December 11, 2023. No one else informed me. That's the hight of civility, manners and attachment !!!) And, it was not known that Biden was in Ukraine until he landed !
May 7, 2023 -- It's a tad intriguing that I didn't know about the Medical Camp conducted here in 'our' hospital today. Of course, we all live under the same roof ! Peter F. Drucker, Father of Modern Management, said that non communication is a greater evil than miscommunication; miscommunication may be corrected and pardoned but not non communication. The news report (Nov 2023): "Biden and Xi Jinping came to two significant agreements -- 'to establish military-to-military communications and 'to curb fentanyl production' " underlines the importance of communication.
May 19, 2023 -- Eight of my close relatives left on a holiday to Singapore. Not a word to me about the trip. Nor did I see a single photo taken during the trip. Normal in this hostel (home). Apologies to hostel residents as most of them share information better. Long ago, I came to know on the day of departure that eight of my close relatives were set to go on a tour abroad to Switzerland. 'Foreign culture'.
July 1, 2023 -- National Doctors Day -- Many of the people who celebrated this day didn't know that it was to honour the medical celebrity Dr. B. C. Roy who was born and died too on July 1. And I gathered from handbills that RMH conducted a 'free medical camp' in a textile mall today. In these 'Kaliyuga' days, we are better connected to people overseas. The height of the disconnect is such that I didn't have the occasion to see the more-than-a-decade-old self-styled-world-class IVF lab in 'our' hospital !!!
December 9, 2023 -- A WhatsApp group of six people (five of them are from a family living under the same roof) was created on this day. Amusingly and ostensibly, the 'Group' seems to be created, by the ADMIN of a huge enterprise which has been sinking, to impose 'checks and balances' on household expenses. Catching mosquitoes and missing elephants ! The first post by the Group Admin is the following:
Kindly send all the purchases you make .
Cash bill , Card payment details , Any petty cash Spent even Rs 1 also 😃
Prakash will enter it in the expenses . It will help us to set our accounts right. Kindly Co operate
The following is the comment posted by one of the family members in the group.
English (Vinglish) is a ‘tricky’ language. One ‘crafty’ interpretation of the Admin’s note (Kindly send all the purchases you make.) is that all the items purchased by us are to be sent to Prakash for physical verification. The ice cream we buy would change its physical form by the time we comply with the notification. And what about the ‘street food’ we eat on our journey to Chennai which costs more than “Rs 1”, and the “Cashbills” for the same ! A beggar on the highway said “I can’t give a bill for this ‘Rs 1’ as I don’t include it in my Income Tax Return.” That tickled my funny bone. Let’s not comment on other ‘tricky’ things in the note lest it would become a ‘Ramaayanam’ ! Entertainment comes in very many ways in our life. Let’s enjoy, taking things in a lighter vein. After all, we are Indians, linguistically vulnerable. We all blabber fluently and author articles in “Indian English.” Let’s read and enjoy once again the article cited below in which this conversation may find a place : https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/indian-english_27.html .
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A different BEHAVIOUR, after all -- 'UPPER DESI CLASS'.
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The height of IMMATURITY, FOOLISHNESS and HUBRIS
It's difficult to understand some youngsters, as they belong to a generation which was brought up differently. Ours is a unique generation which had seen children learning from parents and also children teaching parents. Eggs teach chicken. In this context, the articles titled "MOTHER-in-LAW" and "BRINGING UP CHILDREN" on this blog may be of interest:
https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/mother-in-law_30.html https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/bringing-up-children_28.html .
March 8, 2024 -- Then came the International Women's Day once again. On that day, there was a small get-together and some photos were taken when I came to know that one of the women in the gathering had been working in 'our' RMH hospital for quite some time as a Medical Doctor. That's how I keep 'Silent, Isolated and Insulated ! Or is it that way how a modern RMH is to be run ? RMH -- R for ROLE, M for MODEL & H for HOSPITAL -- Role Model Hospital.
June 6, 2024 -- I was sitting in the sit-out of our home at around 8.00 pm. A gentleman came and mentioned to me about renting of a nearby house and of somebody waiting in the hospital. I presumed that he was looking around for an accommodation for a family in this locality. I said I had no idea at all about these matters. I enquired about his education and his job. To my amusement, he said that he studied Pharmacy and that he had been working in the RMH as an Administrative Officer. Quite unsurprising ! I came to know that he came to our home to see another doctor in the home !
August 28, 2024 -- The parents of a granddaughter admitted her into a medical college to study MBBS. The grandfather was amused to know about it through the roof under which they all live !!!
Behavioural economics
Behaviour affects individuals, institutions and industries economically. 'Behavioural Economics' is a relatively recently recognised subject of great importance. The work of 'Behavioural Economic Consultants' is to understand the needs of their clients and develop business plans solutions and attitudes based on psychology and market research. Generally, people can be classified into four behavioural groups : Optimistic. Pessimistic, Trusting and Envious. ENVIOUS is the most common group and the people in it do not actually mind what they achieve, as long as they score better than everyone else. To know more about this, go to the links below:
TALK , BEHAVIOUR & ATTITUDE
Even after gaining decades of experience, some remain naive and still need to learn how to talk and behave. They need to know what to talk and what not to talk. And they need to keep cool, calm and collected, definitely not erupting like volcanos at every silly lapse. They find their temper always on a short fuse, and open up wide their motormouths with despicable audacity. There is no time limit as some subordinate would always be available to listen to the music.
Some very brilliant ones also need to learn how to talk and behave appropriately. They don't know. May be due to lack of "education" -- "education" is not about getting marks and degrees. A highly qualified doctor with a bundle of certificates may be administratively immature; a highly knowledgeable politician may be insensitive. Or, the misfit may be due to lack of good attitude and behaviour. Attitude and behaviour of the heads of nations, industries or institutions often decide the fate of the ones they head. An American oracle said: "We 'uglyAmericans' are seen as loud, arrogant and completely ignorant of the sensitivities of others." But we, some of the Indians, are worse in some ways -- go to my blog article titled "Civic Sense and Manners" : https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/civic-sense-manners_29.html .
In the complexity of things, it is sometimes difficult to say what is appropriate and what is not. For his 2019 remark -- "How come how all the thieves have Modi as their common surname ?" --, Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two-years in jail. And how about the rumpus over the kiss on the stage of Shilpa Shetty and Richard Gere ! And about Hamas attack on Israel, and the devastating retaliation.
MIND-ENGINEERING
Behavioural scientists say that such of these people strongly believe that they talk and behave in an appropriate and normal way; and that they require 'mind-engineering therapy' by behaviour consultants. Even Richard Thaler, Father of 'BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS', can't convince them that their attitude / behaviour is not normal and sane.
Wrong attitude, miscommunication, non-communication and ill-tempered behaviour made many an organisation shambolic and blacklisted. I know of a few of such establishments including multi speciality hospitals. Such organisations remain in the gestational period even after decades of existence. Taking impulsive decisions bereft of a well-prepared institutional framework is the cause for many of the failures. Managing a large factory or a big college or a huge hospital is not like running a small grocery shop with all the whims and fancies of an owner. The owner thinks that he is always right and perfect !!! There are two kinds of imperfect people. 1. Normally imperfect ; 2. Abnormally imperfect.
Shiv Khera said "Successful people don't do different things; they do differently."
Monkeys said : "We do all the right things, but in a wrong way."
Swami Vivekananda said: "Everyone can play the role of a master, but it is very difficult to be a servant."
MONKEY-DRIVEN ACTIVITY
The BOSS is always RIGHT
The Boss removed 'K' in the heading above
Monkeys do all the right things, but in a wrong way !
A ‘multi-engined’ train with traction in different directions, with monkey in the driver's seat, may lead to peril. The boastful boss is loaded with pathological and perverted perceptions, full of theory, cranky ideas and schemes. The boss can easily be inflated by flattery and be driven to do all the right things, but in a wrong way.
What happened to the Hindustan Antibiotics Limited, the "Maharaja's" Air India, Hindustan Photo Films at Ooty, the Kingfisher Airlines and the 'X' (Twitter) ? The most notable failure of a mega-investment in aviation industry is that of the ‘ghost’ airport in Spain, opened in 2008. The very huge airport that costed $1.5 billion to build has not received a commercial flight since 2011. It is put up for auction for one tenth of its value (just 100 million euros) in 2013, due to bankruptcy ! The high-flying Vijay Mallya also had flown into the sunset as far as his Kingfisher flights are concerned. In a market economy, companies do crumble despite strong presence of ‘actuarial science’ which is basically concerned with the evaluation and management of financial risk, making financial sense of the future.
There will be no better example than Lehman Brothers which went belly up in September 2008 pushing the entire world into a global financial slowdown.
Are these failures due to lack of wisdom, business wisdom ?
“It doesn’t take long for information to become knowledge,
But for it to become wisdom sometimes it takes a lifetime.”
-- Preeta Krishna
The self-centred and money-centred monkey says 'earn money somehow or other'. What happened to Harshad Mehta and Abdul Khim Telgi ? Money is not everything in life. But, what did Warren Buffett say about money ?
So, earning money is important and crucial. Of course, It's a matter of perception -- some believe wealth is of paramount importance and spend their entire life earning it; some are convinced fame is the measure of success and pursue it passionately; yet some develop deep faith in spiritualism and renounce all material pleasures. But, those who want to make money should make it by keeping the following in mind :
'One should have realistic goals, precisely documented plans, knowledge of ground realities, detailed estimates, pragmatic budget provisions, meticulous organisation, impeccable management, pragmatic budget provisions, realistic personnel recruitment, unbiased analysis of pooled opinions, provision to hedge the corpus/investment against inflation/depreciation and actuarial assessment of the project, as one should be too wary of the pitfalls of wandering in the world of fantasies with whims and fancies'.
Warren Buffett also said the following:
Lack of integrity and taking impulsive decisions bereft of a well-prepared institutional framework is the cause for many of the failures. The lack of a systematic approach may lead to financial and legal quagmires.
I know of a multi-disciplinary establishment which remained as a non-starter even a decade after the opening ceremony, as it didn't take the above hints systematically but fancied to take immature and impulsive decisions on an ad hoc basis, with ego, hubris and hegemony ruling the roost. A newbie just jumped into management without experience. Managing a huge establishment is not like running a small tea shop with a motor mouth, a perverted behaviour, and a foolishness.
But: “Don’t try to correct a fool. He will hate you for sure;
Correct a wise man. He would be grateful to you for ever."
I fiercely argued with some to correct their academic opinions, but ended only to be hated !
"If you don't learn by others experience,
You will learn by your mistakes." -- T. Rama Prasad
Here is an anecdote & an example of Despicable Behaviour
Dr. A (head of a hospital) asked, without any context: "What's the antibiotic for tonsillitis ?" Dr. B (a senior doctor) answered: "Appropriate antibiotic according to sensitivity tests." Dr. A insisted: "Tell me one antibiotic to be given now." Dr. B said: "You know better than me." Dr. A furiously said "If you want to tell me, tell me, otherwise ..." Dr. B said: "Don't get angry." With a proprietary arrogance, Dr. A walked away, exhibiting the usual impertinent and despicable behaviour. The abominable audacity of Dr. A is the trademark of the motormouth. Dr. B was perplexed, not knowing what wrong he said this time. The bad behaviour this time was very mild compared to the episodes over the previous decade which were examples of the height of impudence and arrogance. On some earlier occasions of a serious degree of this behaviour, bereft of respect and sanity, Dr. B said "You need to know how to talk and behave, more so because you have a long career ahead and as people won't tolerate as I do." Incorrigible. Such of them think that their unabashedly impudent behaviour adds value to their authority. But, it's normal for this day and age -- just a generation gap -- which can be perceived in my blog article titled "Mother-in-law"
https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/mother-in-law_30.html and the one titled "Bringing up children" https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/bringing-up-children_28.html .Once, Dr. A told the active senior professional Dr. B : "You are at the fag end of your life, so ... " One should be careful with words, as WORDS CAN'T BE TAKEN BACK, though the one who utters the words may not remember them.
Much ado about nothing . It's part of evolution -- the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. But as the bad behavioural culture has an impact on economy, there is an increasing need to apply the science of "Behavioural Economics".
Those who had lost none of their naiveties do all the bright things, but in a wrong way !!!
A few of them ultimately end up as nonentities, partly due to borderline Paranoid Personality Disorder, Obsessive Compulsory Disorder, Bipolar Disorder or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
HIGH and HOLLOW
Some of them are brilliant ones. Power houses of knowledge; Walking encyclopaedias. They are great achievers, and monumental failures too. Hubris, hegemony and fantasy rule their lives. Self-centredness and overambitious plans take them away from ground realities. Avarice and greed make them imbalanced. The nouveau rich tastes are all about shiny new things, out with the old no matter how invaluable. The past is a prosaic placeholder. They think they are the ideal ones, loaded with hypocrisy and pride. The collective "we" spirit is not to be seen anywhere ... it is the "I", "me" and "myself" attitude that rules the roost. Impulsive hiring and firing.
For every fault of theirs, they blame somebody else as the cause -- a blame game. They are argumentative and dogmatic without a solid base. They never own responsibility for wrong doings. One believed that he won the election even when Joe Biden was in the chair ! He believed that 'classified documents' can be taken home, and landed with the prospect of landing in a jail ! The scientific reason for using a wrong drug is that it is being used 'by my friend in Florida and a cousin in California' ! They are Averse, Apathetic and Allergic to learn from others -- triple As. They only want to teach, not to listen. It is in this context that 'Behavioural Consultants' come into focus. Many of the heads of establishments ask "What's the need for us to consult 'Behavioural Consultants' ? " -- jJust as the insane refuse to consult shrinks.
OUTSTANDING EXAMPLES
A POTUS who said HCQ could be a game-changer and wondered why disinfectants were not injected is an example; and Putin moved from a very successful and comfortable zone to a high-risk game of war which proved to be a devastating folly. He not only didn't succeed in the war but faced a revolt by his own 'hired' unit of army headed by the militant leader of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who almost immediately pulled back his troops and chose to fly away to Belarus in June 2023. And, Xi Jinping doggedly persisted with 'zeroCovid' policy against the advice of the WHO.
Some shift priorities from product and performance to the pursuit of profits. The BYJU's bust may be an example. India's most valued start-up at $22 billion is nosediving in 2023. The path-breaking pioneer in the growing world of ed-tech, Byju Raveendran, is said to be facing the financial crisis of his lifetime (TNSE, July 23, 2023), and is issued a showcase notice by the ED for allegedly violating the Fema amounting to more than Rs 9,362 crore (TOI, Nov 22, 2023). His value plummeted from 22 billion USD to 6 billion USD. He is reported to have pledged his houses to pay the salaries of his thousands of employees ! Byju's saw its net loss widening to 8 crore rupees in FY22 from 4 crore rupees in FY21.
NUTS
Many of them think that they know everything right from grammar to gambling; bringing up children to buying a 'Twitter'. After buying the Twitter for more than 40 billion dollars, when commented upon the economic sanity of the deal, Elon Musk said that he had always been a nut !!! One year after taking it over, the value of the Twitter is reported to be dwindled to half. They sincerely believe that they are role model human beings sans ego and bias. Biased behaviour 'waged a war' with Iraq on the assumption that it had 'Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)'. Ask George W. Bush about it.
"Thy attitude & behaviour shall be thy destiny." -- Rama Prasad
"Physician, Heal Thyself." -- Luke 4:23
"Thy food shall be thy remedy." -- Hippocrates
LIARS
Some of such of these people are habitual liars, even to family members, and are congenitally unwilling to admit their errors. Brazen lying for no apparent strategic reason but for their egregiousness and absurdity seems to be normal for them. They think they are born to teach, not to learn. As they are often vengeful, and as they go to any extent to defend their hollowness, people don't complain about them. Or, blissfully, they just forget about their lies (selective amnesia), or pretend not to have said such things, or accuse others of quoting them out of the context. To know more about it go to the link below which lists the blatant and amusing lies of Donald Trump :
As of June 2023, Donald Trump may face a jail sentence, if convicted on 'federal charges'.
'MISS MANAGEMENT'
Miss Liz Truss holds the record for the shortest-serving Prime Minister in the UK, at less than 50 days. Her disastrous mismanagement ('Miss Management of Miss Liz Truss) saw the resignation of two senior Cabinet Ministers and a deepening financial crisis in the UK. Miss Liz wanted to make money for the country forgetting the ground realities. Truss resigned just a day after nonchalantly calling herself a 'fighter, not a quitter' ! Ego and adamency made her quit. She didn't want to compromise. A parody of management. A true example of 'Hangaamii'. Many professionally well-qualified persons waste their time in managing / mismanaging their establishments. Doctors are no exception.
ONEUPMANSHIP
The fall and fall of many things in the world are due to idiosyncrasies of the people at the helm of affairs, generated out of various reasons -- hubris, hegemony and avarice (as in the case of Vladimir Putin); or for existential need and retaliation (as in the case of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, head of Ukraine) in the Russia / Ukraine war, or (as in the case of Benjamin Netanyahu, head of Israel) in the Israel / Hamas war. Some of the heads have some of the following detrimental traits: Over-ambition; Selfishness; Jealousy; Lack of contentment; Overconfidence; Greed; Arrogance; Adamancy; Disrespectfulness; Materialism, Self-centredness; Dogmatism; Argumentativeness; Hypocrisy; Unrealistic goals; Oneupmanship; I & MY attitude (the word 'OUR' is not in their dictionary). Examples are aplenty, both among the aristocrats and the ordinary. Good behaviour and appropriate attitude is a greater asset than anything else. Pugnacious and bellicose behaviour is one's enemy.
Some had mastered the art of making money, but are blacklisted by the public and grilled by public prosecutors.
Making money in the medical field is like a mix of black and white. Medical service ideally is a noble one bereft of profiteering motives. Some of the green fingers in the profession resort to aggressive marketing (even offering discounts and conducting business-oriented 'free' medical camps). Such efforts only erode trust in the profession and produce negative results. If one has a kind heart, there is no need for marketing. And, kindness costs nothing.
THE FALL AND FALL of a SHAMBOLIC set-up
I wouldn't have written the following if my name (Rama Prasad) was not in the 'Rama Prasad Multispeciality Hospitals' (RMH). It would not have been a matter of concern to me at all, if my name was not in the name of the RMH. This episode, which left RMH in tatters, brings to focus the text written above under various subheadings for rumination, and some of the bad attitudes and attributes exemplified above are amply applicable to this case.
rewind to
July / August 2022 --
In these two months, RMH, along with some other hospitals, was all over the media, for wrong reasons. Of course, I came to know about it through media -- newspapers, magazines, TV coverage, U-tube, etc. which vied with each other to project the bad & the ugly. The high-decibel activity made the Health Minister repeatedly assure the public that the guilty would be punished severely.
The impeccable reputation built over half-a-century around the name 'R' (Rama Prasad) in RMH was ruined in one fell swoop for no fault of 'R' and just because 'R' is in the name of the involved hospital. The great name rings hollow now. The BEST turned out to be the WORST. Type 'Oocyte Racket' on any 'search engine' like 'Google', the 'Oocyte Scandal' and RMH with details of the modus operandi of 'Illegal sale of oocytes' glares at you. Concern and condolences poured in from Kashmir to Kanyakumari; Texas to Tokyo. That's the irony of R's life. I was as cool as Mahatma Gandhi when he was shot dead !
Some hospitals were blacklisted and 'sealed', allegedly for being in association with some "Oocyte Racket Goondas" who are in jail. The racket extended to several States -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The allegation was of an IVF malpractice of surgically removing oocytes from an innocent 16-year-old girl, multiple times in multiple hospitals, and 'selling' them illegally, and that the girl was recorded as a mother of a child in the hospitals to satisfy the legal regulation, through a faked identity card !!! A layman or a legal expert would be shocked to know that a girl could be forged as a mother by surgical experts. Specialist science wiped out common sense. One should have scorned to stoop to such tactics. Imagine the alleged surgical and mental torture suffered by a hapless and helpless 'girl child' by the greedy. The critical public sang a dirge to these hospitals irrespective of the legal outcome, and some prosperous careers may go bonkers. People don't condone medical malpractices of this kind. Nobleness in the profession took a backseat. The 'Noble Profession' seems to have sung a dirge to humaneness.
Those who don't know 'R' would naturally believe that 'R' was in association with the 'Goonda Gang'. An irreparable damage is caused to the name 'R' by the money-minded monsters. An ignominious end. The name of 'R' was affected for the simple reason that it was technically in the name of RMH though "R' was not at all aware of the happenings, nor was he ever involved in the management or the services of the RMH. It was surreal to have the name associated with the hospital. Curiously, the names of the involved hospitals were on the media but not the names of the professionals alleged to be involved in the malpractice.
Foreseeing an inevitable business orientation of a corporate hospital, 'R' objected to have his name in the RMH in the beginning itself, but vested interests prevailed. Ideologically, RMH can't be in sync and congruence with PWYCC (Pay What You Can Clinic) -- corporate model versus service model. A better option could have been to name the hospital as "Ramaprasad Pay What You Can Hospital (RPWYCH) and run it on a 'non-profit-oriented' model. It could have been a unique, highly successful and memorable medical facility. By this, it's easy to get a good name, but not nuggets. If one realises it now, one is late by more than one decade late to catch the train ! This may be wisdom in hindsight. A simple statement of the disparity between dreams and reality. Now, go to any 'search engine' and type 'Oocyte Racket', the RMH stares at you.
Perhaps, because of the 'brand' name and fame of 'R' , the RMH had grown very well in some ways, and may be even by talking nonsense about the 'world-class' facilities, and trying to be 'upper class' with a veil of hypocrisy. Technically, it is a "Multispeciality." Literally, any hospital with more than one speciality may be called a 'multi speciality hospital'. Various specialists came and quit for over a decade. 'Hangaamii' blended with 'Hangaamaa'. Has RMH been a nonstarter ? If so, is it because of immaturity, impulsive behaviour and inexperience ? When a plan falters the risk of teetering on the brink of extinction becomes a nightmare. Victims of gargantuan appetite for wealth are not exponents of small satisfactions. Fun & frolic; fiasco & folly; hubris & hegemony; impulsiveness & immaturity. On August 1, 2023, RMH seems to have entered into the mode of attrition with the laying-off of some workers for 15 days in a month. It seems that the RMH will be in the dog house for some time. To regain credibility, it will need a herculean effort.
Unsuccessful people do all the right things, but in a wrong way. And they blame the 'drummer'. There is a maxim saying that a bad dancer blames the drummer for her bad performance. One blamed 'Perundurai' for the failure of the multi speciality hospital as Perundurai is not a CITY !!!
'R' and 'no R'
The shambolic organisation along with cranky ideas crumbled like a cookie. A damp squibb. It's hard to refurbish the tarnished image. It is difficult to build up reputation, but very easy to ruin it. A while earlier to this episode, the idea of dropping 'R' from one unit of the 'RMH', with unconcealed hubris, was the bee in the bonnet of the bee's knee. After crossing the river, the boat seemed to be unnecessary, and the umbrella of "R' could be dispensed with. Arrogance of neo-affluence ? Now, the RMH itself stands dropped ! But as with many other things in the country, the 'business would be expected to be as usual', may be in a different form.
SENTIMENTS and FATE
The wall outside my chamber in the past
And, it may just be a coincidence or may be a fateful consequence -- belief and god are not debatable ; just a week before the disastrous news of the Oocyte Racket exploded, the unique and odd name board, a huge waste wooden plank with bark around, displaying the words "PAY WHAT YOU CAN CLINIC', and the outstanding, innovative and decorative bamboo stems with various live plants, and the interesting caricatures were removed (and never placed back) presumably for carrying out painting work on the wall outside my chamber. They were there for around 20 years. Now, the wall is like a roadside wall cluttered with posters pasted all over on it. See the two photos above. Perhaps, just a coincidence. But words like sentiments, superstitions, fate, Karma, mystic, esoteric, etc. come to mind -- as expressed famously by Steve Jobs at the Stanford University. Amusing to me. Not anguished. Not angered. And, an oracle said that when a humble person was branded as a rude one requiring psychiatric consultation, and when a false accusation of checking the baggage of guests at a home was hurled, Bhagwan set the vehicle of Vayu to go south (06.02.2022, 05.05.2022, 15.07.2022). A fateful intervention.
'Karma' was the word surprisingly used by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios on June 12, 2005 when he delivered the famous 'Commencement Address' at the Stanford University, USA. He said: " ... Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma whatever ..."
MY WORLD
I have neither the time nor the interest to know about the administration of 'our' RMH establishment ... I take care of my patients in my small 'PAY WHAT YOU CAN CLINIC', and enjoy my hobbies and activities like writing, gardening, artwork, and charity deeds. Go to:
The real boon for me was the goodness of my family members who allowed me to be "SILENT, ISOLATED and INSULATED." They chose not to pester me with mundane and insignificant matters, to respect my love to be aloof, to keep me in a warm cocoon of love, and to understand my philosophy in running my ‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN CLINIC' (PWYCC)-- http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/what-you-can-clinic_30.html . All these years, no doctor, including my kith and kin (who never appreciated the idea of PWYCC and who might not have ever read my 'scribblings'), came forward to join PWYCC, as no doctor liked the idea of a patient paying what she/he can !!!
MISSED THE WOODS FOR TREES
A suggestion to follow a legacy would only attract a derisive smile. An outstanding 'Pay What You Can' type of medical facility could have been developed here. If it is realised now, one is late to catch the train by one-and-a-half decades !!! There was a very strong foundation to build upon. The golden opportunity was lost. Some don't deserve a head start like this, for they may convert a flower path into a thorny jungle track.
I enjoy all this as a former medical superintendent of a sanatorium and a medical college where we had a blend of rigid norms of administration and meaningless niceties in the dormant corridors of staid existence. I was a witness to situations that were compassionate and insensitive; serious and lackadaisical; stable and volatile, all at the same time, more as a titular king. I didn't involve much and didn't interfere at all with the well-oiled machinery of the administration there.
I keep myself informed, uninformed and sometimes misinformed, and enjoy the whole thing just as Sir Isaac Newton did when he found colours of a spectrum from white light ... And as the Bard of Avon said: ”There’s nothing Good or Bad in the world, only thinking makes it so.”
I keep "SILENT, ISOLATED and INSULATED. AMUSED, not ANGRY. A quirk of fate. A remorselessness of destiny.
-- Dr. T. Rama Prasad, Titular King
Ultimately, the two outstanding world leaders, Trump and Putin, gained public opprobrium on allegations of taking away 'classified documents' and initiating a potential 3rd world war, respectively. The magnificent optics turned into trash.
And ultimately, for me, at the end of the day, it is utterly disgusting, regrettable and shameful to listen to and to read a flurry of cross-sectional review comments such as the ones reprinted hereunder from RMH's own website:
" ... Rama Prasad Multispeciality Hospitals
#75, Kalliampudur Road ( Medical College Road ), PERUNDURAI, Erode Dt., Tamil Nadu
3.1
105 reviews
3 years ago
Very worst hospital. We went for IVF treatment. Dr.Geeth raj was very kind initially; after we started to get treatment she was very rude ; whole hospital is having only money-minded people ; they want only success rate, so she forced us to get donor even when we didn't have any health problem ; second thing usually they will charge 8 to 10 lakhs but they wont give any receipts and they wont accept any digital transaction, all the money we have to give as cash in their hand because the doctor is doing tax cheating
15
a year ago
Waiting time is tooooooooooo long
Still there is no crowd. Only 5 patients. but also waiting for whole day.. very poor time management
4
2 years ago
Worst hospitality. Terrible behaviour from nurses and staffs. They make you wait for whole day without reason. Highly not recommend !!! " ...
4
*****************
It's not clear as to who the BOSS is. But the BOSS is always right, doing all the right things, but in a wrong way !!!
Continued …
The full text of this 'Scribbling' will be posted on this blog later -- T. Rama Prasad |
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