Food for Thought

In August 1996, I joined Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (LTMGH) in Mumbai, India, as an internist–house officer. The LTMGH is well-known for handling medical crises, because it is the largest public hospital in Mumbai Suburban District and is located near Asia's largest slum, Dharavi. Initially, I had a difficult time managing the huge workload. One of the central tasks of the housestaff was to discharge as many patients as possible on preemergency days to make room for the many anticipated admissions on call days. The housestaff who kept their ward census in single digits were most valued. Those who failed to do this invited reproach from the registrars.

One day, the …