If you smoke you must not exhale here

The day I joined the present hospital as chief consultant anaesthetist I was welcomed by a very smoky and tobacco smelling anaesthetist's room.

Without entering   the room from the door I  introduced  myself stressing upon Dr Major.....and  left the theater immediately telling them that we should meet tomorrow.

Prepared a banner "If you smoke, must not exhale here" and pasted on the  door. I could not tell the surgeons not to smoke there as they were pretty senior to me by age and service, so the banner to speak to them in my language.

Next morning, when I reached the theater a pleasant smell from the anesthetist's room welcomed me .And an aged surgeon famous for cracking jokes asked me,"Nayak(my surname), if you were in the Army what would have been your rank ?"

I replied curtly,"L/Nk  Sir", and added " koi shaak?"(army  ranks in that order: sepoy, L/Nk, Naik,Havildar, Nb/Subedar, Subedar, Subedar Major, 2nd Liutenant,Liutenant, captain ,Major……..General)

“No Major”,   with a civilian type salute was his reply.

This incident was enough for the theater staff to know me as Very strict and stick to the principles always And I had smooth   sailing for a quarter century in the expected turbulent sea which I noticed on the first day. Later after a couple of years they were telling   me that had I not joined the institution they would  still have been in the smoker’s group.

The most recent remark on me ,”The kingdom which you have created is still there and would be there, only thing the king abdicated”.

                               Firing on some body’s shoulder backfires too

Once, While on duty medical officer in a command level hospital  I got a phone call from ADC to GOC(General Officer Commanding)asking me to send some medicines for the pet dog of the GOC.And I answered the call  politely , “Dear friend, you might have been wrongly connected, instead of a veterinary hospital to me”, by the way you are in conversation with the duty medical officer of  hospital…..” No, No,. I am talking to you, veterinary hospital normally remains closed during night time, since your GOC’s  pet  was having  pain abdomen I needed the medicine .”I am a specialist human doctor, not a veterinary one, and replaced the receiver on the cradle.

The following day as expected there was the repercussion .I knew it as the  great  Newton’s third law of motion couldn’t be wrong. I had to meet three in that seniority in a chain of command having refused to entertain the ADC to   GOC for a silly and unlawful command. Lastly, the Commanding officer in his indomitable style roared, “Though you were right You have created a bloody mess ,f**K up now”. And I left his office with a victorious  smile.

A couple of months after the incident I was asked by the senior most anaesthetist and HOD to go and administer some medication intravenously (should be painless) to the wife of the same GOC at their residence. Out of 12 specialists, all senior to me he trusted me to carry out the surgical strike.

From the hospital where I was working I travelled in a staff car. I completed my job successfully with great rewards, “So far no body has given such nice painless injections to me and I am really grateful to you”,followed  by some treats  a usual custom  in the army.

The GOC accompanied by the ADC with whom I had the previous encounter arrived in the scene. After expressing his gratitude while exchanging pleasantries I just enquired about his pet dog’s illness. He was surprised to know the incident and on the spot gave some lollypops to the ADC.

And that is it, back fired  ?

Yes, “firing  on somebody’s  shoulder ”

Diplomacy may be like walking on a razor’s edge.  But standing up for principles is like wielding a blunt hammer.  Both tasks are difficult; yet are effective in their own ways!"

Ajaya  Upadhyaya.

The hospital where I was working in the Army was a large hospital with 1000+ beds. You can guess the workload of anaesthetists as always below the posted strength. The rule was not to post any routine surgeries requiring 2hrs and more after 1200hrs.

Once the surgeon posted a case at 1200hrs requiring more than 2hrs and called me to administer anaesthesia. I told him it was 12past 12, and not possible as per the rule. He was insisting on me to start the case but I was changing dress to take off. Being a very senior officer (he was a colonel and I was a captain)he  got little offended as it was live in the changing room cum doctor's rest room.

So ,  you were not doing the case ?Going ?I'll see how you would go ?Smilingly I said , "watch sir, throwing the theatre  pyjama into the laundry basket and  followed one by one dress  till changed   to the full uniform” , saluted him and left the theater.

But I didn't leave the hospital, went to ICU as I was the in charge, and from there to meet commanding officer to discuss   on ICU administrative problems. While discussing ICU issue the above colonel was ringing up CO to convey him that I left the hospital at 1200hrs without doing a surgery.CO told him on phone that I was with him, and their conversation ended abruptly. After the discussion with the CO I left the hospital around  1.30pm .

 Next day the above officer’s  scooter broke down, and on the way I gave him a lift. When we arrived in the theatre, everybody  were surprised to see us both together travelled on a scooter. And some commented," Dekho  kaal  shale  saanp  neula , aur aaj......??

“Jindgi  ittfaq  Hai  kal  bhi  ittfaq  thi, Aaj  bhi  ittfaq hai..” was my quick response and thus justified my friend's quote, the opening sentence of the topic.

[Dr. (Major) B. C. Nayak is an Anaesthetist who did his MBBS from MKCG Medical College, Berhampur, Odisha. He is an MD from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and an FCCP from the College of Chest Physicians New Delhi. He served in Indian Army for ten years (1975-1985) and had a stint of five years in the Royal Army of Muscat. Since 1993 he is working as the Chief Consultant Anaesthetist, Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital, Cochin]