STRESS
AND
RULES

DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR




A doctor retired from his job as a professor.

He was invited by a medical college for appointment.

However; during the interview he was told that his profile prepared by the apex body of doctors indicated that he could be appointed ONLY as a lecturer, now called Assistant Professor.

The reason given to him was that; he had not served in the capacity of lecturer for 4 years!

The doctor was surprised and said (showing the certificate of experience) that he had worked as Associate Professor for 26 and ½ years and as Professor for 1 year!

The interviewers showed a piece of paper prepared by the apex body and expressed their helplessness and sadness!

“Why could have this rule been imposed by the apex body?”

The doctor found one explanation convincing!

The majority of the office bearers in apex body belonged to certain states and certain institutions, where all the doctors used to get far more (more than double) salary and several facilities; than their counterparts in rest of the institutions in the country; and therefore had different rules of promotions and hence had served as lecturer for more than 4 years! The majority in the apex body imposed this rule so as to ensure that doctors in their institutions and their states (who had the only merit of serving as lecturers for more than 4 years) could be benefited irrespective of other merits or demerits; even if that be at the cost of medical teachers who were otherwise; far more experienced and meritorious, but were promoted before completing 4 years as lecturers!

Irrespective of whether the doctor could manage the stress or otherwise; he “died” as a Head of the Department, as a Professor and even as an Associate Professor! This is how; prejudiced and petty rules; cause stress and kill the innocent and meritorious people!