Thank you for the offer of support. I have been getting similar letters through email and postal mail, besides phone calls expressing solidarity with what I have stated in my rather blunt letter that was emailed at first, and then subsequently posted as hard copy to heads of departments of forensic medicine across the country. I thought I would take this opportunity to send out a general return message to the entire forensic medical fraternity, using your response as the base.
Yes, we of the fraternity of forensic medicine are at the cross roads today. Never mind that it is largely of our own making. The time for dissection is over. Now is the time for analysis and action.
It is clear that the MCI BOG is bent upon implementing their vision at any cost, come hell or high water. Whether there is merit in their vision is beside the point. The point is that it is a unilateral decision involving a few professionals belonging to a very small cross section of the entire medical field. The point is also that a consensus has not been arrived at in a transparent and unbiased manner. For these and many more reasons, we need to make ourselves heard. We need to put our point of view across. There has to be then a debate at a national level involving all the stakeholders (primarily from the teaching side, since Vision 2015 is essentially an educational document). Only then can we accept this vision or any other vision of the MCI. In the absence of careful thought and healthy discusssion, the MCI or any other body for that matter just cannot stuff anything down the throats of the medical community.
The sad part in this whole sordid saga is that many of our own distinguished brethren are silent. I would like to know as to what they are waiting for. Or do they think that it is not their battle? That it is somebody else's battle, and that they are relatively safe in their petty little cocoons? Many of those who are silent are holding government jobs, or administrative posts, some of them in premier institutes. So perhaps they are under the misconception that they will not be touched by the fire. Unfortunately, nobody is going to escape the consequences of the MCI action. Nobody. While some of us may be more severely affected than the rest, the fact remains that we will all be burnt to a greater or lesser extent. Only the degree will differ (sorry for the pun)! When forensic medicine ceases to exist as an independent speciality it will have adverse ramifications across the entire spectrum. And the sooner all of us realise this the better.
So, I would like to ask my distinguished colleagues, junior and senior, sitting in institutes such as AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER, KMC (Manipal & Mangalore), AFMC, and so many others, why are you sleeping? By this masterly inactivity, is the message that you wish to send out that you are in agreement with Vision 2015? Or that (as stated earlier) it is not your battle? Or that you are not going to be affected much? Except for a very few individuals from the institutes named who are at least raising their voice, most of the others are sitting silently. Believe me, my respected and cherished friends, the guillotine will fall on all of us. Some of us may be decapitated, some others amputated, and yet others transected, but the blade will fall on all of us.
Unless there is a collective effort on the part of the entire fraternity of forensic medicine, we are in danger of losing the war even before it gets under way. So, do WAKE UP and DO YOUR BIT!
In closing let me mention to those who are my fanatical critics (and there are many!), I have no intense personal motive in trying to get everybody together to "save" forensic medicine. Most of you are aware that my domain today is toxicology and biotechnology, and I have a very successful set-up combining both right here where I am employed. At the risk of sounding immodest, I may mention that I would be the least affected by Vision 2015 as compared to most of you. But forensic medicine is a subject that is very close to my heart. I chose it out of all the other subjects that were open to me. And that is why I cannot let it die. It will be like letting my mother die. It is as simple, and yet as profound as that. And that is the way that we should all take it.
Best wishes,
V.V.Pillay MD, DCLChief, Poison Control Centre
Head, Dept of Analytical Toxicology & Forensic Biotechnology
Professor, Forensic Medicine & Medical Toxicology
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research
Cochin, Kerala 682041
India
Phones:+91-484-4008056 (Personal: direct line)
Head, Dept of Analytical Toxicology & Forensic Biotechnology
Professor, Forensic Medicine & Medical Toxicology
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research
Cochin, Kerala 682041
India
Phones:+91-484-4008056 (Personal: direct line)
EPABX: +91-484-4001234,
Ext: 8056 (Forensic Medicine, Medical Toxicology), 6034 (Poison Control Centre)
8096 (Analytical Toxicology), 8190 (Forensic Biotechnology)
+919895282388 (Cell)
+919895282388 (Cell)
Fax: +91-484-2802020
Email: toxicology@aims.
poisonunit@aims.
drvvpillay@gmail.
Email: toxicology@aims.
poisonunit@aims.
drvvpillay@gmail.
P Please do not print this email unless it is absolutely necessary. Spread environmental awareness.
----- Original Message -----
From: Umesh.S.R Reddy
To: Toxicology
Cc: poison@aims.amrita.edu
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 12:50 PM
Subject: Reply to your letter
From ,
Dr. Umesh S R
Professor & Head
Department of Forensic Medicine
M.R. Medical College, Gulbarga.
Email : drumeshsr@yahoo.com
Cell: 09448147555
To,
Dr. V.V. Pillay
Chief poison control centre
Professor, Forensic Medicine & Toxicology
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research,
Cochin, Kerala
With regards from staff of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, M.R. Medical College Gulbarga, Karnataka
Sir,
Hope you are keeping fine health and we do agree with you that none of our fraternity is in best of the spirits as the sword of fate of forensic medicine is hanging over our heads.
With so called proposal of vision 2015 which includes fragmentation of our subject, none of the other specialties are interested in knowing the details and serious about the vast changes which will definitely exploit forensic medicine.
We do admire and appreciate your objectives and opinions regarding vision 2015 which we received through your letter and we do extend our hand of support round the clock to you in making our subject forensic medicine immortal.
Hence forth we will be in conversation through mail.
Dr. Umesh SR.
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