Public to save doctors!
This is with reference to the article, ‘Role Reversal’ (Knowledge, August 5) which is on an unusual theme – doctors need the public to save them! The ‘Save the Doctor Campaign’ and has medical practitioners talking to the audience, the public, “with some of the most compelling statistics and with reason enough”.
The video reportedly laments the lack of adequate number of postgraduate doctors for a country which has 362 medical colleges, the highest anywhere. It points out that for 45,000 undergraduates, there are only 12,000 postgraduate seats which is about 27% and because of this great disparity, a large number of MBBS graduates do not know what to do for further education and are obliged to spend a long time in a coaching classroom. And with a view to equalising the number of undergraduate and postgraduate seats, the nationwide movement was started in Bangalore by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) along with representatives of medical students across the country. Understandably, lakhs of medical students are expected to support the movement and it will be good if the public also joins hands to highlight the urgent need to equalise the seats in order to be self-sufficient with reference to specialist doctors. Otherwise, with the common man rushing to the doctor for cold and cough India might have to import surgeons as Dr Navneet Motreja who coordinates the campaign, points out.
DR V SUBRAMANYAN
Thane
Building intellectual capacity
A Beautiful Mind (Knowledge, August 7) is an engrossing article which deals with the necessity to build intellectual capacity and, more significantly, what students can do for it. It is an abstract concept that simply cannot be quantified and refers to the useful information that one is able to store in one’s head at any given time. This brings to play the ‘intellect’ which is the power of using the mind. How to develop this ‘above-the-ordinary’ prowess in young students? Advertising professional Shruti Bhatt has shown the way remarkably well by raising debates in the class and asking students to contribute from their own experiences. By deliberately choosing topics that will call for heated arguments, she is able to lead them to admit that multiple viewpoints are possible and there are indeed many grey areas. Her thesis is that “by admitting to different viewpoints, they are opening themselves to a 360 degree view of the topic that can get multi-linear rather than following a straight line”. It may be mentioned in this context that in geology we always believe in ‘multiple working hypotheses’ as a cardinal principle to comprehend many complicated, non-demonstrable phenomena and processes. The importance of reading in the exercise of intellectual capacity building cannot be overemphasised and the sociology professor, Vinita Mangnani, has done well to have highlighted this. Mere browsing superficially does not help and reading needs to be coupled with active thinking. And as she has put it wonderfully well “it helps you to build verbal power, a body of knowledge, gain insights, secure intellectual frameworks to use, gain deeper understanding and discover newer ways of thinking”. And counselling psychologist Chhaya Sheth emphasises the need to build a heightened sense of awareness as a way to building this capacity.
DR V SUBRAMANYAN
Thane
Bringing in human values and ethics
This is with reference to the article, ‘Ethical evaluations’ (Knowledge, August 5) which highlights the necessity to introduce human values and professional ethics in the curriculum of educational institutions. It is undoubtedly a vital aspect of professional life today and deserves to be made an integral part of students’ life. The University School of Engineering Technology at Guru Gobindsingh Indraprastha University has done a commendable job in introducing a full paper in the subject and it will be wonderful if all other institutions also follow suit because the employability of a graduate will increase manifold with these skills. Corporate houses are not in a position to spend their time in training their new entrants in these, though they are important and so will appreciate it if these are inculcated when they are still students. It is good to note the IIIT Hyderabad had started a course in value-education in 2005 itself and that the UP Technical University had included an audit-course in 2009. Some of the results are very encouraging, with the students becoming more comfortable with themselves, developing a sense of belonging to their institutions with much healthier relationships with their teachers and other students. As Sharad Gandhi points out, “students should know the idealistic scenario in any case so that they know to what degree they have been deviant”. Students will benefit enormously by integrating these values, particularly, academic ethics, in their lives. Then only they will not try to use someone else’s academic material as their own and get the benefit without working for it will also prevent them from developing a taste for plagiarism in their professional life later.
DR V SUBRAMANYAN
Thane
A beautiful mind creates a beautiful world
A Beautiful Mind (Knowledge, August 5) has done well to incorporate views of the noted educationists on intellectual capacity. Truly said therein, intellectual capacity is the ability to think in an intelligent way, and to reason and understand objectively. Vinita Mangnani stresses on the role of reading aptly, saying, “To build knowledge, you have to read. With reading different things come diverse opinions and views.”
Often, students are unwilling and afraid of reading, because they don’t understand what they read. Take for instance the fact that most people are reluctant to talk to any person because they may not be acquainted with that person. But one must understand though, that unless the ice is broken by one party, no new acquaintances will be made. So is the fact with reading. How will a person understand anything if he is averse to reading? It may take time, but there is no substitute for reading. Francis Bacon said, “Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man”.
In other words reading enables a person to become a good writer and an impressive speaker. A well versed reader develops an open mind which is flexible, that can evaluate things based on merit. Just as our bodies need good food and nutrition every day, our minds need good thoughts every day. Positive thinkers recognise their limitations but focus on their strengths. Dr Joseph Murphy, an American psychologist says, “As you alter your thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards you.” Because, as within, so without.
PROF SUHAS PATWARDHAN
Badlapur
