THIS HAPPENS: VOLUME XLI & XLII

THIS HAPPENS: VOLUME XLI
 

Calm After The Storm

It was an incident in 1981. I was working as assistant surgeon in the District Headquarters Hospital Sambalpur . My wife was also posted there . We were newly married. Hardly within 6 months of my transfer from Dava PHC(one of the remote most PHCs of Sambalpur District) to Headquarters Hospital ,Sambalpur,  I got the posting as specialist Obstetrics and Gynecology in Madanpur Rampur PHC, Kalahandi District . It was quite far off from Sambalpur. The communication between the two places was horrible. No doubt it was a blessing to be promoted to the post of a specialist but staying away from family alone was next to impossible on my part. My father in law was the Principal, G M College Sambalpur at that time. Fortunately Sj. Hemananda Biswal , who was a student of my father in law,was the health minister. We met him at his office at Bhubaneswar for my transfer to Subdivisional Headquarters Hospital , Deogarh where the specialist post was lying vacant. He obliged. My wife was to stay at Sambalpur for a few months. The Honorable health minister had promised for her transfer to Deogarh. For those few months I had to make up and down from Deogarh to Sambalpur. 
Deogarh was the Subdivisional Headquarters of Sambalpur District at that time. Now it's a separate district .It is around 100 km from Sambalpur. Bus communication was good. It was taking 3 hours at that time. At Deogarh I was temporarily accommodated in the doctor's duty room.That duty room was a part of the Post Partum Center (PPC) building. It is an average size room where two hospital beds can be accommodated with attached bath and latrine. After a few days one of my friends Dr. Sudarshan Dash joined there as O G specialist. I was in charge of the PPC and he was in charge of hospital side. My duty was to look after the family planning side and his for the hospital side . His wife was a teacher , posted in one of the girls high schools of Bhubaneswar. So he was adjusted temporarily in the same duty room with me.Gradually a good number of new doctors joined including Dr. Chintamani Panda, the paediatric specialist, Dr. Baral , the pathologist , Dr. R K Guru, the ENT specialist, Dr. Mishr, the Medicine specialist and a few more. 
The mass transfer of doctors was done because there was a Mahabharat Yudha in the hospital before we joined. All doctors, staffs were divided into two rival groups, one group was the follower of the Sub Divisional Medical Officer(SDMO) and the other was the follower of the Gynecologist. Gradually local public also took advantage of the situation and got involved. The so called local political leaders used this situation as a source of income. The situation got so worse that the Government was forced to transfer all doctors except the SDMO and Dr.Pradhan , the Surgery specialist . By the time we joined we had diagnosed the cause of the problem and identified the 3rd grade and 4th grade staff who were adding fuel to the fire. 
We all the newcomers had a meeting and passed a resolution that any issue related to the hospital would be resolved amicably by ourselves. Nobody should talk against any doctor or other staff. None of us should entertain anything told against other doctors or staff of the hospital. We should remain united so that no hospital matter would be leaked to outside. That was followed in true letter and spirit.
We were two gynecologists. Any hospital having two gynecologists is a Kurukhetra. Ours was expected to be so . The hospital staffs are very cunning particularly the PPC staffs. They had little work in the hospital. Their main business was to create difference and misunderstanding between the two specialists. We were aware of that . So we the two friends planned not to give a chance to others to make inroads into our business. Everywhere the gynecologists fight against each other over patients. They think that patients are their own kith and kin. But patients are very cunning. They always exploit this muddy situation and take the maximum advantage. Therefore we made a plan.  If any patient consulted one of us he became the primary consultant. He remained in charge of that patient. If any second opinion was required or that patient needed surgery then the primary consultant will take the opinion of other and the other specialist will assist the primary consultant. Whatever  fees in the form of cash or compliment was given by the patient was equally shared by both of us . That was the understanding between both of us . So we had faced no problem neither from the patients nor from the public during our tenure of stay at Deogarh. 
I am citing the experience of my 1st CS as sprecialist at Deogarh. She was a poor patient  from a remote village . After a prolonged labor ,tried and failed by the traditional birth attendants she was carried on a bullock cart to our hospital in very low condition. I was the primary consultant. After primary treatment I  decided for caeserian section(CS) . Dr. Dash was my assistant. At that time open ether anaesthesia was the only mode of anaesthesia available and practised . One assistant surgeon Dr. Yudhisthir Sahoo was trained by the surgery specialist to administer open ether. He was our regular anaesthesiologist. Dr. Panda was our paediatrician . The CS was done. A healthy female baby was delivered. 
The post operative period was uneventful. Before the discharge of the patient her husband had given us 8 bamboo sticks as gift , four for each. Her husband was a daily laborer. He had seen our room and in which pathetic condition we were staying. He must have thought that the two surgeons who had conducted the CS must have been victims of merciless mosquitoes. Therefore he had chosen the right gift to tie mosquitoe nets and get rid of mosquitoe bites & have a sound sleep.  What a wonderful gift the bamboo sticks were. It was truly memorable "THE FIRST GIFT IN MY LIFE AS SPECIALIST OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY." May be it was four bamboo sticks but it was invaluable.

THIS HAPPENS: VOLUME XLII
(My First Experience in Labor Room)

I passed my MBBS in May 1976. As an intern my first posting was in Labor room for one month. It was the morning shift duty from 8am to 2pm.

I entered into the labor room as an MBBS doctor though provisionally registered. Tha postfix MBBS was bringing lot of joy as well as pride. I pushed the door and went into the labor room of SCB Medical College , saw 3 to 4 seniors enjoying the morning cup of tea around the table. They all in unison congratulated me and welcomed me to the labor room. They offered me a cup of tea and I gleefully accepted it.There were 10 labor tables fully occupied by expectant mothers and mothers who had already delivered and waiting for transfer to the ward. 

A senior PG student Parul Madam called me  to assist a delivery of a multi gravida in 2nd stage of labor. She was pushing hard. The labor room attendants were in a musical chorus shouting (De De De means push push push).The staff sister in charge was preparing the trolley and baby tray Parul Madam asked me to conduct the delivery. She was to assist me . As a disciplined soldier I was waiting for her command to follow. All on a sudden following a violent push the baby was out . I tried to catch the baby but it slipped from my hands. Fortunately it didn't fall in the bucket. There I caught hold of the baby like a goal keeper catches the football, as forcefully as possible ,lest it may slip and conceding a goal. I did not let it go even though my dress was soiled.I became nervous. But Parul Madam didn't tell me any thing. Rather she encouraged me telling, " This happens.

Don't worry. Carry on. Now deliver the placenta. " Then I delivered the placenta. Examined the umbilical cord , the fetal surface of the placenta which was really a picturesque , how nature has made things so beautiful , then the fetal surface , with cotyledons the placenta looking like a full bloom sun flower. At that time echoed in my ears the sayings of my teacher Prof. Dey ,"Have a knowledgeable look of the placenta. "That day I experienced  the values of his words . Till date I teach my students the same teaching of my Guru. 

There was a second degree perineal tear , which I repaired under the guidance of Parul Madam. From that day I respect Parul Madam as my first teacher in Obstetrics under whose guidance I conducted a vaginal delivery and learned the perineal tear repair.  

But the slipping of the baby from my hands during delivery left a scar mark in my brain which almost lasted till I completed the post graduate course in VSS Medical College, Burla. The ghost of that slipping baby was haunting me till that time .To be true I was not holding the baby after delivery in the upside down position. My assistant was doing that. I was busy in delivering the placenta. I can't believe myself that the boy who carried the fear of delivering a baby and  practised the delivery of the placenta only till the end of his  postgraduate career can one day become a successful obstetrician & gynaecologist, a teacher and a surgeon giving training to thousands and thousands of  students. 

I feel myself fortunate. I am satisfied with my life as a professional.
 

Prof Gangadhar Sahoo is a well-known Gynaecologist. He is a columnist and an astute Academician. He was the Professor and HOD of O&G Department of VSS MEDICAL COLLEGE, Burla.He is at present occupying the prestigious post of DEAN, IMS & SUM HOSPITAL, BHUBANESWAR and the National Vice President of ISOPARB (INDIAN SOCIETY OF PERINATOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY). He has been awarded the BEST TEACHER AWARD of VSS MEDICAL COLLEGE,BURLA in 2013. He has contributed CHAPTERS in 13 books and more than 100 Scientific Articles in State, National and International Journals of high repute. He is a National Faculty in National Level and delivered more than 200 Lectures in Scientific Conventions.He was adjudged the BEST NATIONAL SPEAKER in ISOPARB NATIONAL CONVENTION in 2016.