Ambulance

Ambulances have become such a part and parcel of hospitals and medical care that they are many times taken for granted. I remember one incident.

When I was a teacher, we were taken to a stadium in South Mumbai for a Sports event. One girl fell unconscious. All efforts by the coach to revive her failed. Thus an ambulance was called.
At that time 2 other teachers were sitting with me on the pavilion. Even when I was a teacher, I was freelancing as a journalist for a leading magazine. I had recently concluded research on a medical based article and I had learnt that if an ambulance is called on emergency, there should be a doctor in it to give the patient the first aid. My research had also revealed that in developed countries there are paramedics ready to assist in an ambulance.
One of the teachers, who taught Science and General Knowledge, laughed at me and left me wondering what’s the use of medical assistance if it is not available where required at the right time? This was the beginning of the 21st century and today, assistance is definitely sent with every ambulance. And I was wondering about the futility of the knowledge of some of the current teaching staff. When I was a student, my teachers were a store-house of knowledge.
The point is not that the teacher ridiculed me. But the basis of today’s blog-post is to ask the simple question – Does it mean that once you have completed your education and found a job you stop learning things? This leads to limited knowledge and stunted growth in the profession. And when the question of shaping the future comes, I also wonder how do these teachers perform?