CORRUPT BUREAUCRACY

Binu had bought three and a half cents of land to build a house. The family had been staying in rented premises for long. They had enough of the nomadic life. The ground was level and square and was adjacent to an irrigation canal.  The banks of the canal were dotted with houses on both shores. Binu was confident that he could build his dream house there.

Binu was a self made man. He had lost his father when he was a child. It was left to Kamalamma, his mother to look after the four children with great difficulty after the sad demise of her husband.  Binu worked as a mechanic in a garage to help his mother even as he was attending the school.   Soon after he had completed schooling he managed to start a workshop of his own for four wheelers.

Building a house is not a joke. You need a plan certified by a registered architect. You need approvals from government departments as well as the municipality. Binu submitted all relevant documents at the municipal office. As nothing had happened for over a month Binu made enquiries at the office. He was told that the delay was due to the absence of the building inspector who was on long leave. The building inspector had to visit the property and certify that the proposed building would not violate any of the rules in force.

The building inspector visited the property after another month. She had arrived in an autoricksha. The lady told Binu that she could not issue the no objection certificate as the proposed building was in violation of the norms. Binu argued that the banks of the canal were dotted with houses and there was no justice in the rejection of his application.  The building inspector affirmed that she would never approve the construction of the house at the proposed site. He took out Rs.3000.00 from his pocket and offered it to the building inspector. The good lady rebuked him for offering her a bribe. She asked him to pay the autoricksha charges.  

The next day Binu visited the municipal office. He met the building inspector. She repeated that she could not approve a construction in violation of the norms. As a despondent Binu was coming out the office a peon followed him. The peon told him that he would get the approval for Binu the next day provided he would hand over a full bottle of foreign made liquor. Binu agreed as he had lost all hopes.

The next day when Binu called at the office the peon met him. He was told that the papers were ready. But they would be handed over only after Binu had handed over the bottle. The bottle was promptly exchanged and Binu stepped out of the office with the building permit.

DENGUE A GOLD MINE

Dengue is transmitted by the mosquito. It is sheer hell once you catch it. You have high fever that refuses to subside. Your blood picture goes from bad to worse. Hemoglobin count drops sharply all of a sudden. It attacks internal organs. When the urine output becomes minimal you have the luxury of a catheter inserted into your body. You have no appetite. Food intake becomes nonexistent.  You cannot even take fluids. You are put on saline drip. The fever in the meantime rises to dangerous levels. You cannot walk as you experience severe body pain. The aching joints make you scream. You have to be hospitalized. The treatment is more or less palliative rather than curative.

Thomas Varghese, a gulf returnee, had to be hospitalized when he had high fever. Although he has four children none of them were in the vicinity. They had all migrated to Australia, the Promised Land for ambitious Indians. Thomas Varghese and his wife, Lalitha were content to stay in India after working in Qatar for thirty years. Naturally they were leading a good life, wholly depending on their substantial bank balance. The children and the grand children used to visit them occasionally.

Lalitha took Thomas Varghese to the high profile Lifeguard Hospital.  Like all hospitals he was kept at the Casualty under observation for the whole day. There were a series of tests. Blood and Urine samples were drawn. ECG and  XRay were taken.  Blood pressure was monitored by the hour. A few specialists had examined the patient. Thomas Varghese remained restless all through the day. In the evening the duty doctor called Lalitha aside and told her that Thomas Varghese had to be moved to the ICU as his condition was unstable. It was a shock to the poor woman.    She replied that none of her children or relatives were around and requested them to allot a room for the patient so that she could be of service to her husband.

The good doctor concurred with her view and agreed to admit the patient in the ward for the present. The patient was allotted a cubicle. One look at the cubicle and Lalitha knew that the cubicle lacked space and was very hot. She requested for a better facility. She was told that there was a private room available at a daily rent of Rs.5000.00. No other rooms were available. Exasperated Lalitha said that she preferred to move the patient to any other hospital. Suddenly the official told her that a room at a rent of Rs.2000.00 has become vacant and that could be allotted to Thomas Varghese. She accepted the offer.  

On the third day of admission of Thomas Varghese to the hospital their daughter Sheeba arrived from Australia. She saw that her father was breathing with difficulty. He was not taking any food or liquid. She met the doctor and told him that her father may not survive another day if he was kept like this. The doctor said that he has to be moved to the ICU. She said it was alright. She wanted her father back hale and hearty.

Lfeguard Hospital charged a patient in the ICU Rs.10000.00 per day. They were advised to remit Rs.50000.00 immediately. Thomas Varghese was moved to the ICU. His vital functions were constantly monitored.  He was nasal fed. He was unconscious for a few days. The rules for the ICU were strange. The bystanders were never allowed near the patient. One person alone could visit the patient for two minutes in a day.  Though they were paying a rent of Rs.2000.00 per day for the room they were asked to squat on the floor of the space outside the ICU. The bystander had to arrange for all the needs of the patient in the ICU. Payments had to be prompt for all the tests and the medicines prescribed.

Sheeba had come on a short leave of seven days.. She had to return. She pleaded with the doctor to move her father to the private room before she left for Australia. The doctor relented with a rider. He was transferring the patient from the ICU at the whole risk and responsibility of the relatives. Thomas Varghese was happy to come out of the ICU. He said if they were going to put him back in the ICU again he would prefer that he was kept at the Central Prison.

Soon after Sheeba had left for Australia Thomas Varghese was subjected to a host of tests. Though he was not one hundred percent normal the hospital authorities made him sign a letter of consent to draw bone marrow for conducting a test to exclude a possibility. Thomas Varghese suffered a lot as it was extremely painful. Lalitha was away to arrange funds for payments at the Hospital. She was upset when she saw her husband in great agony. When she asked the doctor why her husband was subjected to the bone marrow test without her consent the doctor replied that they could not seek consent from a person who was at her residence.

Lalitha appraised the matter to her brother who was a consulting physician at Mumbai. He flew down at once and made inquiries. He pacified Lalitha with following remark, “The bone marrow test was done by the hospital to complete their quorum. It is better not to make a noise over it.” The end result was that there was nothing wrong and Lalitha was made to remit Rs.40000.00 towards the cost of the bone marrow test.

Thomas Varghese was discharged from the hospital after a month from the date of admission. He is recuperating at home. He has to present himself at the Hospital for periodical reviews.

Dengue has left him poorer by Rs.2,00,000.00. Thomas Varghese could afford it.

Dengue indeed is a gold mine.

MAKING INDIA

Sreekumar is a mason. He takes up contracts for construction. His clients are truly satisfied with the result that he has no time to spare. He does not market himself. But referrals keep him busy.

Anjitha, his wife is a capable woman. She has supported him through thick and thin. The family is complete with their two daughters. The daughters are married off to two fine young men who  hold good jobs.

The happy family found itself in a corner when Anjitha fell ill. It was a cardiac ailment. She was advised to undergo  bypass surgery for survival. The family pooled all their resources to make Anjitha go through the procedure. The surgery was successful. Anjitha was advised by Doctors that she had to keep herself active after convalescence.

Sreekumar came up with the idea of opening a vegetable store that Anjitha could look after staying at home. Though the idea was great, logistics proved a herculean task. Sreekumar loved Anjitha very much that he never wanted to lose her.

What Sreekumar is doing today goes a long way in the making of India. He works hard. India is vibrant because it has people like Sreekumar.

Sreekumar wakes up at 4.00 AM every day. He goes to the wholesale market to procure vegetables for the store that opens at 6.00AM. On Sundays he is at the distant market where he buys tuber crops. Sreekumar goes for his construction activity once the vegetables are stacked in the shelves. Anjitha manages the store. The gentleman has not finished yet. He has set up at home machinery for preparation of sip up that children like very much. He does the work himself. The product is supplied to local shops. The store accepts orders for vegetables and Sreekumar in his spare time does the door delivery.

No doubt Sreekumar and Anjitha are made for each other and  are very popular in the locality. 

NEVER FALL ILL IN GOD’S OWN COUNTRY

Why?

Once you fall ill you need a doctor and if the illness has worsened the doctor would direct you to a hospital. Perhaps the doctor you are approaching is employed in government service practicing at home. Perhaps the doctor is attached to several private hospitals and has consultation at home. Perhaps it is a one man show at home. The consultation is a very costly and time consuming affair. People go for this option to out wink the crowd at the hospitals. It matters little whether you are at a Government Hospital or a Private Hospital. The crowds will be large. Your doctor finally would direct you to a hospital when he finds that he could not manage the illness through consultations at their place. By the time you are referred to a hospital you would have spent a fortune on doctor’s fee, medicines, lab reports, x-ray, ECG etc.

The hospital you are approaching would do all the tests and the reports once again. They would tell you the reports you have are all stale and unreliable. Since we value our life very much we would do whatever the doctors suggest unhesitatingly. Money flows through your fingers like water flowing through a tap. The person who prescribes the tests receives a certain percentage of the fees charged. It is a win - win situation for all except the patient.

If you are admitted to a Government Hospital your representative will have to meet the attending doctor at home and pay him a substantial amount. If surgery is recommended, money would have to be paid to the surgeon as well as the anesthetist. If the proper amount has not been paid the patient would have a harrowing time.  The surgeon would delay the surgery as much as he could. The anesthetist may fail to observe the blue tinge on the fingers of the patient that necessitates administration of oxygen at once. The outcome would be catastrophic for the patient and the family. A cardiac arrest would snuff the life out.

It is still worse in a private hospital. They would make you pay through the nose. The administrators like the doctors who prescribe all sorts of tests very much. To them such doctors are real assets. The relatives are presented with bills off and on. The bills are staggered in such a way you would never realize that you are coughing up a large sum. If an orthopedic operates on the patient and if the patient is kept in the post operative ward to be closely monitored it is incumbent upon you to bring all the specialists who are required to attend the ailing patient. An orthopedic – a very experienced one – was firing me on all cylinders for not bringing the specialists who were working in the same hospital. According to him he did not know how to read the monitors that were recording the status of the patient.

There is a space crunch everywhere. While the patient would be asked to lie on the floor if there is no bed available in the Government Hospital the private hospitals play a different game. They would initially keep you at the casualty and would probe whether you would accept a room at the higher end. If you are unwilling to accept the offer and are planning to move the patient to a different hospital you would be offered a room at a lower rate.

Another hazard is the staff at the hospitals that pushes the stretchers, the wheel chairs, the barbers and the attendant who hands over the new born. They would force you to shell out extra money else the patient would have bumpy rides.

Yet another hazard is the doctor who prescribes medicines for you. If you dare to mention that the medicine that has been prescribed may not be good for you as a doctor at a different location at an earlier bout of illness had asked you to refrain from taking that particular medicine as it was harmful for your constitution the doctor would shout at you to proceed to the far away location and have your treatment there.

Recently a young doctor from a private medical college was requested to administer an injection to a patient at the place he was staying. The good doctor was preparing for the Post Graduate entrance examination. The reply was classic. He said he did not know how to administer an injection and that it was the job of the sisters alone.

I am mortally afraid to fall ill in God’s own country.

APPENDIX THAT IMPLODED

Omana is an employee of the retail giant ‘Butterflies’.  She is an assistant storekeeper  at the Butterflies Hyper Market at  Thembamood.  Butterflies has outlets all over the state and the one at Thembamood has been outperforming the rest for several years.

Omana had been experiencing severe abdominal pain for almost a year. She had tried Abhaya Arishtam – an Ayurvedic medicine – for a while. The pain did not subside. Her periods became an ordeal. She consulted Dr. Sarala Sasidharan, Gynaecologist at the Vembanad Hospital at Thembamood. Dr. Sarala had been tending her patients efficiently.  After a number of tests and considerable expenditure Dr. Sarala advised Omana that her  uterus had four fibroids. However it did not require intervention. The abdominal pain she was encountering had nothing to do with the presence of fibroids. Dr. Sarala concluded that there was nothing wrong with the patient.  Though Omana went home happily the abdominal pain survived the investigation and treatment vehemently.

The persisting illness had made her life miserable and Omana had no other option than to report at the Jawahar Medical College Hospital at Thembamood.  Thembamood happened to be the capital of the state and had the finest medical facilities one could ever imagine. There was a rider. Though the hospital was equipped with most modern equipments and a state of the art laboratory nothing ever worked. The doctors were adamant that they considered reports from their own facilities quite unreliable. Most of the doctors insisted that the patients outsource the reports from private institutions operating on the periphery.  The doctors maintained that they could rely on such outsourced reports alone. A wag had once commented that there was the 30 percent factor.  Naturally the scarce resources the family could lay their hands upon had evaporated within no time.

Omana went through all the tests once again.  The doctors found nothing wrong except for the discovery of a spot on her small intestine which according to them was insignificant. As Omana was experiencing acute pain they referred her to the Deen Dayal Institute for Cancer at Thembamood. The doctors at the institute refused to even examine her because according to them Omana was suffering from an ailment that could be treated at the Jawahar Medical College Hospital itself. It was back to square one.

The brother in law of Omana was a well respected politician and he managed to invoke the intervention of the Health Minister of the State on Omana’s behalf. It worked wonders. Suddenly the facilities at the hospital started working without any hick up.  The doctors and the staff were extra courteous. The Deen Dayal Institute had no hesitation in examining Omana.  The institute referred her back to Jawahar Medical College Hospital as there was no evidence of cancer.

Omana was assigned a room adjacent to the post operative ward where the doctors and nurses could monitor her 24/7. They sympathized when she endured pain constantly. But no one could discover the cause.  Initially she had been admitted in the general ward. But the constant attention   she was given had antagonized the rest of the patients and their bystanders. It was essential to probe the cause of her disability. Fearing a political back lash the authorities had decided to shift her.

Exasperated the doctors suggested an option.  As the tests and the reports could not identify the causative factor, they suggested invasive surgery. They proposed to open the abdomen and probe. The patient had to be admitted to the Deen Dayal Institute. There was a condition. The patient and her relatives had to give them consent to operate and remove internal organs or the intestines if warranted. They could not hold the doctors and the hospital responsible for any unfortunate event. It was like signing a death warrant.  Omana and her relatives had no other option. The doctors at the Deen Dayal Institute had put forth yet another condition. They would operate on the patient if only the doctors from the Jawahar Medical College Hospital were associated with the surgery.

The politician knew the ropes very well.  He visited the anesthetist and presented a fat packet a day prior to the surgery.  There had been several instances in the state where the patients’ fortunes had nosedived when the anesthetist was not properly taken care of.  The anesthetist refused to accept it as he knew that the patient had the backing of the Health Minister.

When the surgery was performed the doctors were horrified to discover that Omana had a burst appendix that had gone unnoticed.  It had occurred months ago.  The intestines were glued with particles from the appendix and they surmised that the acute pain Omana had endured was due to the presence of the alien particles in the intestines. The surgeons did a thorough scavenging job on her.

Omana was discharged after convalescence. She was requested to report for review after one month. The review saw Omana in excellent health. The doctors remarked  she could consider herself lucky that it was not cancer she had been afflicted with and that it was the almighty Lord who had saved her.

Omana has rejoined duty and the immediate concern of the family is the huge debt that has piled up. They know the good Lord will never abandon them.

GALAXY BANK

I am sharing my experience at two branches of Galaxy Bank on 26092014

I had at one point of time worked for Galaxy Bank.  Galaxy Bank is the premier bank in the Indian Ocean island, Galaxy. Its capital is Galaxy. The island has a population of seventy lacs. Galaxy is a highly advanced nation where poverty has been extinguished through the power of people. The people are highly educated, industrious and motivated. Factories and industrial establishments churn out products that are in high demand all over the world. Its agriculture base is a model to the whole world.

I maintain an account with the Town Hall branch of Galaxy Bank.  My son maintains his account with its Air Port Branch.

I had visited the Town Hall Branch  on 26092014. I had required clarification from four desks. They were all courtesy personified. They had no hesitation in answering my queries. The Relationship Manager had displayed a caption in front of her to mobilise Deposits. It was indeed imaginative. I told her that I really had liked it. She immediately asked me whether I would like to open another account. I said I was a bit tight, but would do it later.

I came out of the branch with a smile.

A few days ago my son had received a letter from the Air Port Branch that required him to submit certain documents – ID proof – for updation.  The letter was not signed. Since my son was a little busy these days  I had taken the copies of his passport, driving licence and PR card to the branch for submission on his behalf. The staff at the desk at first refused to accept the documents unless it was accompanied by a printed form that was signed by my son. I requested him to accept the documents I had brought and assured that  I would submit the form later as it was difficult to submit it at once.

An official who was standing behind joined in and initially said the documents could not be accepted without the signed form. When I pointed out that in that case the bank ought to have sent the form along with the letter the official directed the staff to accept the documents.  He asked me to fill up the form. Since no chair was there I filled up the form standing. It was difficult as the counter was low. As I was filling it up the staff told me that I could do it sitting. Then he observed that he was sorry there was no chair. I said it was OK as I had been sitting for quite some time.

When I was submitting the form I asked whether I should fill up the nomination details. The official said I could not do it if the form was not signed by the account holder.  I submitted the form to the staff and requested him to hand over another form that I could submit at a later date duly signed by the account holder.

As I was about to leave I said I had worked for the bank at one point of time. The official remarked that he had recognised me the moment  I had stepped in and he was surprised I did not remember him.

At that point the Vice President came in to speak to the staff for some official matter. The staff advised I could leave as my business was finished. I introduced myself and told the Vice President that  there was some confusion over acceptance of ID documents. I heard him advise that the documents may be accepted for ID updation without insisting for  the accompanying signed format.

There was no smile as I had stepped out.

CHETTIAR’S TRAVAILS

Chettiar is a mason’s help. He came to work for Balu,  a mason who had worked for us at one point of time. Once Balu had finished the work assigned to him we did not see  Chettiar for a long time.

We faced a problem. Our compound was littered with dry leaves. It was dirty. It needed a thorough clean up. We were concerned since a dirty compound was an open invitation to rats, snakes and mosquitos. Dengue, Chickun Guniea and leptospirosis could any day erupt. We had already lost Jimmy, our pet dog, due to a Cobra’s venom.

I went out in search of a  worker who would do the job. The practice at our area was that the workers looking for work would converge in front of the local tea shop. If the terms are agreeable they would consent to come and work for you. Kerala has become so rich today that wokers for odd jobs have become an endangererd species. While we were young the workers used to hunt for work. It is the other way now. The employers hunt for workers. They relent to work for you at their own terms.

I found Chettiar loitering in front of the tea shop. I requested him to do the clean up operation in our compound. Chettiar expressed his inability to work for us because he was Balu’s man as far as we were concerned. If he came to work for us without Balu’s consent Balu would be annoyed. Balu would never employ him again. What Balu was doing was that out of the Rupees Five Hundred we were paying Balu for Chettiar’s work Balu would be keeping Rupees Fifty for himself and pay Chettiar Rupees Four hundred and Fifty only. Chettiar was going along with this as he did not like loitering in front of the tea shop every day. The loss of Rupees Fifty had meant that Chettiar had a steady employment all through the year. Recently Balu had taken up an assignment at Kottarakkara. As Chettiar was not prepared to leave Trivandrum he had to be unemployed for a while. Chettiar told me that I found him at the tea shop as  his family would starve if he did not work. But he followed his own ethics in the selection of his employer.

After much pleading and an assurance that Balu would be kept unaware the employment of Chettiar by us Chettiar agreed to work for us for four days.

Chettiar was unhesitating in doing the clean up. He would start at 8.00 Am and leave at 5.00 PM. He would stop in between for tea, lunch and rest when the Siren went off. The municipality had installed the Siren to let the workers take their time off in accordance with labour laws that prevailed in the State.  We were pretty happy that our compound at last sported a habitable look.

Chettiar on the third day had told us that he had to visit the Post Office at 9.00 AM. He explained that he was getting a Pension from the Labour Welfare Fund through the Post office in the form of Money Order. The Postman had left word that he had to collect it at 9.00 AM that day.

When we enquired further we learned the following. I am quoting Chettiar.

“ I am getting Rs.1537.00 as pension. The monthly pension is Rs.90.00. The Postman would never give me the fraction that is Rupees Seven telling me that he had no change. I would pay him Rupees fifty out of the Rupees One thousand five hundred thirty handed over to me. I do that because everyone is doing it. This was what had happened during last onam. It would be a repeat this time as well.

 The money is sent to me in two instalments during the year. As Onam Festival is approaching I am receiving the first instalment. The second instalment would come towards the end of the financial year. I had been remiiting Rs.10.00 per month from my fortieth year of age to the Welfare Fund. The Fund had been constituted for masons and masonry labourers. I had joined it as a masonry labourer. My brother in law was remitting the amount for me at Venganoor which is my wife’s place. Later the contribution was raised to Rs.20.00. My brother in law after a while asked me to make the remittances myself.

Though I had paid a few instalments at Venganoor, I had found it difficult since I had to stay off work to make the remittance every month. When I had requested for permission to remit the amount at Pettah the authorities had initially asked me to do it at Ambalathara. Later I was permitted to do it at Pettah.

I became eligible for pension when I had turned Sixty years of age. I receive the pension twice  an year. I have to furnish a life certificate to the Post office once in an year. Usually the daughter in law of the retired teacher across the road was signing the life certificate for me. Once the girl told me that she could not do it that time as she was on leave and her seal (stamp) was at  the office. Since I had to submit the life certificate that day itself I went to an office nearby. The peon took the papers inside. I was called in after an hour. The official had asked me how much money I had with me. I said I had a Hundred Rupee with me. The official told me the days of Hundred Rupees are all past. The papers were given back without signature. They ask for money because they have to do some work in the process. I do agree to what you are saying that all they have to do is to write my name at the appointed place and affix their signature, name, place, date and stamp of the office.

I walked three Kms to the local Primary Health Centre. The Lady Doctor there told me the she was on looty (Duty) and asked to wait till she went off duty. She called me in at 1.30 PM and signed the papers. She did not take any money from me.

The postman had handed over the money I had stated once the life certificate was handed over to him.”