He was young, naive and raw
But confident and competent as a Gynecologist
While doing the scan, the lady asked
‘Sir, what is the sex of the baby…?’
He ignored and said; Baby is fine and good, and 4 months now
‘I asked about the sex, sir’
That was more of a statement from her than a question
He ignored, as if, he didn’t hear anything, finished off the scanning
Gave the report and left the scan room
In the OPD he was confronted with the husband and mother in law
‘Sir, we already have 2 girls, 4 year and 2 years’
‘If this is also a girl, we need an abortion’
The husband spoke and mother in law completed the sentences
The lady returned from the scan room
With, two years old on her waist, and 4 years clutching her hands
He stood up
The OPD had finished
It was his lunch break
‘Checking sex and asking for sex during scan is punishable’
‘IT IS CLEARLY WRITTEN THERE, AND YOU HAD SIGNED TOO…?’
He angrily walked away
Then the husband stashed something in his apron pocket
He picked it out
‘2000/- bucks…?’
They were baiting the hook, he thought
He took the hand of the husband
Slapped the money in husband’s hands and said
‘PLEASE,TRY TO UNDERSTAND, IT IS A LAW…and killing the female child is a crime’
He walked away
So do the couple with children and mother in law
Mother in law and husband were seriously cursing him
And the lady glanced at him with pleading eyes
The children sensed something was not right
And clung on to their mother for refuge
They never turned up
Neither for scanning, nor for pregnancy check ups
Months later, he became busy in practice
And was appreciated by the rural community
One late night, the lady came in labor pain
He suspected, the baby was in sitting position
Not good for a normal delivery
He wanted to confirm it with scan
During the scan baby was in fact in sitting and was quite big too
A normal delivery could prove deleterious for mother and baby
He told the husband and mother in law
They said
‘If caesarean is needed, please go ahead’
‘BUT ONLY IF ITS A MALE CHILD’
12.30 am
After a busy day at operation theater and OPD
And, labor room was jam packed busy, the other night
He need to collapse and sleep
The husband and mother were proving disastrous for him
‘I CANT TELL THE SEX OF THE BABY AT ANY COST’
‘Then she will have a normal delivery, no caesarean at any cost’
‘That decision should be taken by her, not, you two’
‘Our decision is her decision too’
‘OKAY’
He told the sister to take a high risk consent, explaining every details
And went to duty room, collapsed and slept
By 4 am, midwife woke him up
The baby had partially stuck, the progress was arrested
He came running
The heart rate was coming low too
She needs caesarean
Husband and mother refused to give consent for caesarean
Unless it’s a male child
He told them to take her and go to anywhere else
And they refused to take her too
Consents after consents taken
He practically begged at the lady in labor
She was afraid of her husband and mother in law
‘WHERE IS HER PARENTS…?’
Probably, they would’ve coughed up some dowry
Married her off and checked her out from their life…?
WHO KNOWS…?
Then the midwife screamed
‘DOCTOR, THE PATIENT COLLAPSED’
Yes, her womb had ruptured
They rushed her into the operation threater
Anaesthetist ran in
Hospital staff ran helter skelter to arrange blood for her
Some personally donated
Somehow the mother and baby saved
A 4 kgs baby, female child again
BUT HER WOMB COULD NOT BE SAVED
It was shattered and bleeding, so, had to be removed
By 10 am in the morning she became stable and concious
‘where are my children…?’
Nurse gave her the new born
She looked at the sex of the baby and winced in pain
By that time, husband and mother in law had ditched the
Older girls, and left the hospital
Their points of view…
Three girls, and lost womb too
Now what’s the use of keeping her…?
In a community, who needs only male children
That’s a reasonable view point, everyone should agree…
Older children needed food and milk
she needed medicines
And the bills to be paid too
Who will do all these…?
A young mother, probably 23 years
Lost her, womb, husband and pride
Recuperating from a near death catastrophe
Three helpless girls in company
Rejected by the society…
Was a heart breaking sight…
He decided to help them
He talked to the administration
And granted pro bono
Paid from his pocket, for food, for the girls and their mother
7 days later
They were about to get discharged
Where will they go…?
Who will take care of them…?
He sat in his OPD for a plausible solution
Then heard loud noises and fights outside the OPD
A mob was bashing the hospital
They attacked the counters
The husband of the lady was in the front
Husband pointed at the him
‘HE NEARLY KILLED MY WIFE, SHE LOST HER WOMB’
And the mob rushed towards him with clubs
Pushed him down
Punched him
Kicked him
He rolled over to protect his face
They slapped his back with, I.V fluid stands, chairs and BP apparatus
For a moment the young doctor thought…
While others were playing cricket and watching movies
I studied
I seldom slept in the night
Nauseating hostel foods
Crammed hostel rooms
72 hours and more of grueling works
‘ALL FOR DYING LIKE A RABID DOG…?’
More people rushed into the room
Politicians, security, policemen
Beating stopped
While he was in pain and bleeding
They asked for an explanation for removing the womb of that lady
He explained…
‘PLEASE ASK THE LADY, SHE SHOULD TELL THE TRUTH’
They all went to the lady
She was holding her three girls on to her chest
Local leaders and politicians asked
‘DID YOU REFUSE CAESAREAN..?’
She looked at her children, her mother in law and her husband
And looked down
And said
‘NO, nobody told me about any caesarean’
‘HE SHOUTED, THERE WERE WRITTEN CONSENTS’
But the mob had destroyed every documents, files and charts
He didn’t speak anything
Went to the casaulity
His surgeon friend suture him up
There were deep cuts
Surgeon asked;
‘I had given injections to numb you, if still any pain, just tell me’
He replied;
‘MY PAIN IS IN MY HEART, CAN YOU NUMB IT…?’
‘Its will ache, till I die’
There are stringent laws against sex determination in India
But
The perpetrators, the public always escapes
There are stringent laws against violence against doctors and hospitals
But
The perpetrators, the public always escapes
In fact
Public shows activated interest
When the news of a doctor bashed up or arrested pops up
The press and channels makes merry
Few months later
A mother committed suicide with her three girls
A minor news on the paper
Probably
She couldn’t survive the tortures of the husband and mother in law
Probably her conscience pricked her
Probably, her and her girl children’s destiny was written
BY A MALE CHAUVINISTIC GOD…?
Considering the plights of women in India
THE PROFESSION OF A DOCTOR
