What happens after I return to India?

A lot of my readers are curious to know what my future plans are. To those who are coming to my blog for the first time, or after a long time, let me inform them that I am a Pediatrician who has been working in a rural area of the Makkah region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I began working there since mid-November 2011, and am due to leave in a week's time. My other blog has details about my entire 4 years' stay in the Kingdom.

Coming back to the topic: these nearly four years have had their ups and downs. I am financially more secure than ever. However, the grass is still green and my gray cells are still functioning. It would be a shame to leave work altogether. Hence, I am exploring options of working in some other country, but I haven't secured a job anywhere yet. The options are UAE, Great Britain, Malaysia, etc. However, I am preparing myself to face the worst situation: that situation is that I do not get any overseas job and I am faced with real unemployment and zero income. In such a circumstance, I will be okay with resuming my practice in Mumbai, or take up a full-timer's job elsewhere in the state in a large hospital.

My family members are all working. Hannah is planning to do MBA, perhaps in the US or in the UK, but she also works in a e-marketing business called Go Gappa. Inas is pursuing her career as a senior hair-stylist with Juice Salon, and she is growing her practice all along. Nishrin is happy with her parlour in Bhendi Bazar ( a famous locality of Mumbai, check out this website).

In the meantime, I have begun to post ads on this site that link to good medical supply sites. Mostly, these sites cater to consumers in the US. If you are based in the US, do try out their services and let me know how you find them. The banners and ads related to the Medical Supplies Depot and  Dr. Fuhrman While MSD supplies all kinds of medications,  health-appliances and other services, Dr Fuhrman's main business is to customize weight loss solutions for people. Thank you for clicking on these ads.

News from the last but one week ...

Dear Readers and followers,

The last week has been eventful in a few ways. The first thing that I wish to share with you is that the Taif region continues to be short of doctors. As a result, I have been unable to get anyone to relieve me in the past nearly 3 months! In short, I have been on continuous duty for over 90 days, with just one days' break last month, when the muderiya sent a doctor to relieve me. But that was just the exception. Then about 10 days ago, my hospital asst. director Mr. Diyaab allowed me to skip afternoons and go straight home at lunch. This was a very good gesture. It showed that they did care and that their consciences did hurt that they were unable to get me any relief despite several letters sent by them to the Muderiya asking them to send someone to relieve me. This action was later confirmed by the director Mr. Ahmed Farah Sumeri. I have therefore been going for only the morning OPD. I return to my home at lunch and abstain from the afternoon OPD. Patients are told to show the child to the ER doctors and to see me the next morning.

The second news is a bit sensitive, and I am not likely to openly discuss it in this blog. However, there was a minor issue involving me, and the Muderiya, in response to someone's protestations, had decided to stop my exit! The issue has now been resolved, and I am likely to complete my exit formalities in the week ahead.

The third news is that some of the nurses got together (after my gentle reminder) to arrange for a farewell party in my honour. This party was arranged by Sisters Sajeda Touqeer, Maui Rogelio and  Virginita Camaro. 

Dr.Mohamed Mosa Al Teah, our medical director

With Sister Maui Rogelio

With Sister Virginita

The amazing food

The Delivery Room team with Sisters Sherin Vincent, Sajida Touqeer and Virginita Camaro

It was held in our diet department's restaurant on the afternoon of Monday, 23rd August, 2015. The nurses had really excelled themselves in preparing a glorious spread of food. While Sajeda had brought a delicious, under-spiced chicken pulao, the Filipina duo had prepared Pancit (rice noodles), Donuts (fried), Chicken fry (pieces), Chicken spring rolls, refrigerated cake (delicious) and mawa cake. In addition, they also brought a fresh chocolate cake with fresh strawberry from Queen's Taste in Taif. I cut the cake to start the party, after which we took some photos and then had the food with cold drinks etc. 

The final bit of news is that within half a day of my writing this, my colleague, Dr. Mohamed Afzal Khan, is expected to start his return journey to the Kingdom, and will reach by nightfall. He should,  if he agrees, be able to resume from Thursday, and thereafter, carry on. Thus, today might be my last day of working in Al Moweh/Al Muwayh General Hospital. 

In the coming week, I will complete whatever work is remaining here, and Inshallah arrive back in Mumbai by the end of it.

The Indian stock-market crash

Only a couple of times before in my life have I seen the way the BSE Sensex and the Nifty crash today! The last few times were on Fridays, but today, bloodshed occurred on the first day of a new trading week, i.e. on a Monday. The Economic times stated five reasons (for some reasons best known to it, most events on the stock exchange are analysed with this omnipresent heading of "Five Reasons") for this crash. The chief ones among these were the falling oil prices, the Greek Crisis, and the mother of them all, the contracting Chinese economy. In addition, it also gave a passing reference to exiting FIIs and some other, relatively unimportant stuff. 

Be that as it may, it now turns out that investors have all lost big amounts of money in the market for now. So, what should one do? Panic and exit the market, or use this as an opportunity to buy in more of good stocks? Really, it takes a lot of courage to do contrarian buying, but, as the gurus say, you should buy when others are selling and vice versa.

So, let us see what happens tomorrow.