Wasn't that One-Eyed Ali, the Yemeni "biomed"? Or maybe I'm (yet again) thinking of another time, in another place!
Anyone else come across an "anaesthesia equipment biomed" who (being colour blind) had "difficulty" in understanding the concept (or even the need) of colour coding PMG tubing? But (and to be fair), he
was very good at first in, last out, when it came to visiting the mosque.
And I think I may have already mentioned Mahmoud, the "Senior Engineer" who had a strange habit of er, blowing up the kit we were meant to be servicing by (apparently) insisting on checking 110 volt kit by plugging it into 220 volt supplies! I would not have minded quite so much if he had then had the
gumption to fix the kit himself. But, alas, he was always "too busy" and so the repair work was generally left to the Filipino technicians.
Then there was Saleem, our lab equipment "expert" (and, in theory, the most highly qualified member of the team). Sadly, it came to my understanding that Saleem didn't actually fix the Coulter Counters, but instead got the Work Order signed off by intimidating the (usually female) lab tech concerned!
Come next Wednesday (the 18th.) it will be the 18th. anniversary of the death in a road accident of "Boy" Yutuc, a good friend and one of the best practical, hands-on, x-ray engineers I have ever had the privilege of working with. Life can be so cruel.
