For the last few days I am getting a first-hand view of the Health Care Systems in the Civilian World as I am being checked up for some health issues.
(Well – I could have gone to the Military Veterans Health Care Agency ECHS – but the ECHS clinics in Pune are too far away from my home – and timings/locations to get tests done are inconvenient too – and – I am in no mood for running around from pillar to post getting all the paperwork done)
I reflected on the stark contrast between the civilian and military healthcare systems – and my mind was filled with plenty of amusing memories of my encounters with military medicine and I recalled a few spoofs I had written on the subject – and I felt that I must tell you these stories once again...
HUMOR IN UNIFORM
Health Care Military Style – Part 1
“DOC DANEEKA” STYLE HEALTH-CARE
A Spoof
By
VIKRAM KARVE
DOC DANEEKA IN THE ARMY MEDICAL CORPS (AMC)
When anyone asks me how life is in the Armed Forces (the Army, the Navy, or, the Air Force) – I tell them to read the famous World War II Novel CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller.
If you have served in the Defence Services – in all probability – you would have read Catch-22 – and even if you have not read it – you would have experienced the essence of Catch-22.
Are you are a motivated youngster who intends joining the Army, Navy or Air Force...?
I suggest you read Catch-22 – so that you will be well prepared for the inimitable characters and unique situations you will encounter during your military service.
In CATCH-22 there is a character called Doc Daneeka – a Medical Officer or MO (as military doctors are called).
His style of diagnosis and treatment is simple.
In fact – Doc Daneeka has succeeded in elevating medicine to an exact science.
Doc Daneeka fully delegates diagnosis and treatment to his assistants – two soldiers called “Gus” and “Wes”
These two soldiers run the healthcare system in the military unit on their own with so much efficiency – that Doc Daneeka is left with nothing to do – which is fine with him – since he hates medical practice anyway.
The “modus operandi” of the healthcare system is as follows:
All “patients” (who report on sick parade) have a thermometer shoved into their mouths and have their temperature taken.
1. Those with body temperatures above 102 degrees Fahrenheit are rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
2. Those having temperatures below 102 degrees Fahrenheit have their gums and throats painted with gentian violet (throat paint) and are given a dose of laxative to clear their stomachs and digestive systems.
3. Those who have a temperature of exactly 102 degrees Fahrenheit are told to come after one hour to have their temperature taken again so that the line of treatment could be decided as follows:
(a) Temperature more than 102 – rush to hospital
(b) Temperature less than 102 – throat paint + laxative to clear digestive system
4. After one hour – if a patient’s temperature is still 102 – he is asked to keep reporting to the clinic every one hour – till his temperature either goes above 102 – or his temperature comes down below 102 – so that he could be treated accordingly – as per option 1 or option 2 above.
During my long service in the Navy – and in inter-service establishments – I came across many such “Doc Daneeka” style Doctors in the Military.
You cannot escape these “Doc Daneeka” types even after retirement – since they pursue you in the ECHS too.
“DOC DANEEKA” STYLE HEALTH-CARE IN THE ECHS (EX-SERVICEMEN’S CONTRIBUTORY HEALTH SCHEME)
I have observed another “Doc Daneeka” technique – used sometimes by the ECHS in its clinics – since it works better when dealing with ageing old retired veteran senior citizen ex-servicemen (who are considered a nuisance).
There is a saying: “Time is a great healer”.
The essence of this ECHS technique is to make the patients wait indefinitely in the crowded waiting room of the clinic – and let “time” do the “healing”.
On reporting to the ECHS clinic – the hapless old-aged frail unwell senior citizen ex-serviceman is made to stand in a long queue – and then he is given a chit.
Of course – before this – they try to get rid of the veteran by raking up some issue about his ECHS Card – and – the hapless veteran is sent on a “wild goose paperwork chase” and put in a “red-tape spin”.
But – if the veteran is lucky – then the sick old man is made to wait indefinitely – for a long time – in a congested jam-packed waiting hall.
Four things can happen to the patient – a sick and ailing old man – while he waits at the ECHS clinic:
1. The patient drops dead.
In this case – no further treatment is required at the clinic
2. The patient faints – he becomes unconscious – or he goes into a delirium – as he becomes seriously ill.
In this case – he is rushed to the nearest Military Hospital
3. The patient gets fed up of waiting at the ECHS Clinic – and so – he goes to the nearest private clinic for treatment for which he has to pay from his own pocket.
The ECHS view is that though ECHS contribution is forcibly deducted and membership of the healthcare scheme is mandatory – it is the patient’s personal choice whether to avail ECHS treatment – or to go to a private medical practitioner
4. The patient actually starts feeling well during the waiting period – the sick veteran is cured by the long relaxed wait – after all – rest is the best cure for many illnesses.
Now – since he has become well – the veteran does not need any medical treatment at the ECHS Clinic so he can go away happy – after spending the leisurely day at the clinic.
Dear Veteran: Do visit an ECHS clinic and tell us whether you see the “Doc Daneekas” around.
Remember – the cardinal “Doc Daneeka Principle” is to make patients disappear – and in this direction – I think the ECHS is trying hard by introducing more and more “hurdles” like increasing red-tape and paperwork – introducing hassles like repeated renewal of cards etc – locating clinics in inaccessible distant places – and trying its best to make patients go elsewhere to seek medical treatment – so that ECHS achieves its ultimate goal of “zero patients”
By the way – it was also a “Doc Daneeka” type masterstroke by the Armed Forces in the 1980s – when the Defence Services abdicated responsibility for post-retirement healthcare of their own veteran retired ex-servicemen by creating a new organisation called ECHS – and they effectively passed the buck of post-retirement healthcare to ECHS.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE – “FAUJI” DOCTORS WHO ARE NOT “DOC DANEEKA IN UNIFORM”
There are many excellent doctors and brilliant specialists in uniform – but most of the professionally outstanding “fauji” medical officers are posted at VIP Military Hospitals in big stations.
There are many first-rate doctors posted in smaller units also – but – if you observe carefully – you can spot a few “Doc Daneekas” too.
Once in Vizag – when my kids were small – I once came across a “Doc Daneeka in Uniform” child-specialist who hated children
Yes – believe it not – she was a Pediatrician who hated children.
This Child-Specialist “Fauji” Doctor was unmarried – she had no experience of handling children – and worse – she hated children.
This child-hater Pediatrician was a “Doc Daneeka in Uniform” specimen of a different kind – she insisted on proper “paper work” – and she would not see sick children unless you had got a “referral” through proper channel.
The result was that – due to all these hassles and delays – hardly any children-patients reached her – and she was having a relaxed tenure.
Luckily – we had a Command Medical Officer (a Surgeon Commodore) – who was an exception to the rule – he was certainly not a “Doc Daneeka in Uniform”.
The Command Medical Officer (CMO) was himself a renowned pediatrician – an outstanding child-specialist – and he loved children.
He opened a Child OPD in his office in Command Headquarters – and we all used to take our children to him for treatment.
However – even this magnanimous act of the CMO had no effect on the “Doc Daneeka in Uniform” lady pediatrician child-specialist – who seemed to be quite happy at the turn of events – since now she had to see almost no children-patients – whom she hated anyway.
WHY SO MANY “DOC DANEEKAS IN UNIFORM” ?
In order to understand why there are so many “Doc Daneekas in Uniform” – let me give you a simple illustrative example.
Suppose there a two surgeons.
The first surgeon does 100 surgeries per month.
The second surgeon does only 10 surgeries per month.
In Private Practice – it is obvious that the first surgeon (who does more operations) will earn more money – and also progress faster up the ladder of professional success and fame.
In case of “Fauji” Doctors – it does not matter – because – whether you do 100 surgical operations per month – or even zero surgical operations per month – you will get a fixed monthly pay as per your rank and seniority – and – promotion is by seniority – so you have to wait in the queue for your turn to come.
If someone has joined before you – he is ahead of you in the queue – and so – he will get promoted before you.
So – a “Fauji” Doctor sitting in Headquarters pushing files will get the same pay as his batchmate who is slogging it out treating patients in a military hospital – and – in case the File Pushing White-Collar Babu “Fauji” Doctor has joined the Army Medical Corps earlier (and is senior in service) – the White-Collar Babu “Fauji” Doctor will be promoted earlier than the Professional “Fauji” Doctor who is actually practicing medicine in the field – in accordance with the sacrosanct principle of seniority.
So – maybe – it is the “system” – which creates so many “Doc Daneekas in Uniform”.
I will tell you about a few of my hilarious encounters with these “Doc Daneeka” style “Fauji” Doctor sometime soon in this series of blog posts.
To be continued...
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
1. This blog post is a spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)
This article was written by me Vikram Karve 5 years ago in 2011 and posted online a number of times in my blogs including at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/02/doc-daneeka-in-uniform-hilarious.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/08/humor-in-uniform-my-hilarious.html etc
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