Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Letters to the editor

I react to the various news items that I see in the papers everyday, with in myself and sometimes in front of my wife if she happens to be around. Some items evoke a slightly stronger feelings and I decide to express my views for whatever they are worth, in the news papers as letters to editor. By the afternoon 90% of such intentions die down. Out of the remaining 10%, eight are ignored by the editor. One will be published with a heading giving the exactly opposite view. One appears as I intend it to. But I can't keep quiet. Once I put something in print, I feel better. My writing is not with the hope of seeing changes, it is for the selfish intention of beleiving that I did something and feeling better. The following two come under the 10% caregory.


1. I have been following the issue of garbage disposal, which has been going on for years. All of us do our best to create as much of necessary/unnecessary garbage as possible. None of us intend doing anything either in reducing the quantity of garbage that we produce or proper disposal. We want the civic bodies to dispose tha garbage. The civic bodies are run by people like us who are there for their own benefit. They neither have knowledge about garbage disposal nor intention of finding a proper solution. And the officials, the less said about them the better. In such a situation every one ends up doing what we easily can, that is, throw it in to the neibhour’s compound/land/village and hope that nobody would notice. There is time till all the empty space around us fills up with garbage.
There are a handful of organisations/people who are really bothered about it but has no say in the matter or power to do anything. The government, which can do something has no mind/time for it. I observe that more than 50% of garbage being generated is plastic covers which are being used unnecesarily. If that is prevented, the problem is reduced by 50%. We can think of the remaining 50% subsequently. Shall we open our eyes? Or is it better to keep it closed and wait till the garbage literally reaches our nose!


2. I read the yesterday’s news item where the Hon.Health Minister has expressed intentions of opening another medical college in Goa. We have been seeing the disaster in medical education and profession, crated as a result of mushrooming of medical and dental colleges all over the country. Our neighbouring Karnataka is a classic example. There is a college in almost every district, more than one per district in many cases. After a decade of taking medical and dental education to all corners, there are still no doctors in the corners.
I understand that the quality of education, inspite of the best infrastructure and latest equipments, is nothing to boast about, as the basic ingradient for medical teaching, ie the patients, are missing. There are ‘specialists’ with MD in gynaecology with out having done even one caesarian section.
The rot has been noticed by the aspirants for “doctor” qualification and more than 50% of dental seats have been vacant in all colleges including the new dental college in Bellary, which the Karnataka govt opened (foolishly) two years back. Next will be the turn of medical seats.
I hope that the Goa govt will not follow the example.

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