Trick or Treat - a survival guide to health care
35 Creative problem solving The Crow and the Pitcher: A thirsty crow at last located a pitcher with some water in it. Unfortunately the water level was so low that the crow could not
reach it. It appeared to be a case of so near and yet so far. The crow suddenly
thought of a solution to the problem. It picked up small pebbles and dropped them
into the pitcher until the water level rose to the brim of the pitcher. The crow
quenched its thirst and happily flew away.
Neethi was born with multiple birth defects that needed corrective procedures. Her
parents encouraged her to study and get ahead in life. She developed into a vivacious person with never-say-die spirit. She planned a career in Medicine to take care of herself.
At the age of 20, she developed late complications and needed a series of corrective
operations. She then decided to go to USA. She qualified and migrated there to get
treated and to practise medicine. Comments
A typical Indian family considers a girl child with birth defects as a curse. The child is diffident, pessimistic and lacks self-esteem. She hides herself and never develops to
realise her true potential. We need to adopt creative problem solving to cope with such problems.
Dr Stephen Hawking, a world renowned theoretical physicist, is another inspiring
example of creative problem solving and never-say-die spirit. When he was in college, he
showed signs of a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease. Hawking learnt that his 105
