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Legacies that I might leave....

The last few days, spending time in my home town and state, has been an interesting time. Primarily reliving memories of my parents who passed away recently as I tried to sort out some legal and other paper work. I spend time with friends and relatives, banks and government offices sorting out paper work.  During the various sharing of memories, we would talk much about the legacy left by parents, but at the end, would come back to one matter – the current Surgical strike on money by our respected Prime Minister. No talk in the last 4 days, happened without some discussion on the money issue. Which was in one way revealing - how much our lives are linked to “money” and how life revolves around money and the resources we need and have…. Sitting in a bank manager’s office for three days, filling up forms and papers (not for this crisis!) I kept hearing stories of people who walked in to ask opinion from the manager how to survive these crises. There were many who through this surgic

The forgotten nine...

A casual conversation with the husband and the curt reply revealed many things. The issue was around can the patient stay for a few days more in the hospital. The immediate response was, sorry we have run out of money, we must take her home. I called the husband aside and told that, whatever the hospital expenses we will take care of, take care of only the drugs. He was not keen. The patient was his wife. She had a Cardiac illness – a valve narrowed, which she did not know about. She was brought with a stroke and in the hospital, the underlying heart disease was diagnosed. They never had any check-up prior to this though she was symptomatic. Subsequently, she went into severe cardiac failure, and had to be on ventilator for few days. Back in the ward, she developed pneumonia and had to go back to intensive care for another few days. Throughout all these ups and downs, the husband was with her. At one point of time, some of us discussed and thought of explaining to the husband, the

The 6th Sense

A few days back in one of our social networking groups there was this discussion on “clinical examination in Medicine” – recovering a lost art. There were discussions regarding the importance of the same, at the same time the challenges of doing a full examination in the midst of very busy OPD with each doctor seeing 40 to 50 patients in an hour or so. One of the senior consultants remarked about the 6 th sense we need to develop if are to work in busy set ups, where one develops a sense of recognising patients who need full examination and evaluation. As I was participating in the discussions, I was taken back in memory to my early experiences in the art of clinical medicine under a very astute clinician. I remember, one evening as a Junior Medical officer, working up a patient for about 2 to 3 hours, and coming to a possible diagnosis of “Malabsorption Syndrome” after a full history, clinical examination and investigations. I was quite satisfied with myself, having been able to

More vibrations

A young man in 20’s came to us, after attempting to commit suicide. Couple of days after being on ventilator support and on the way to recovery, his story came out. Sobbing, he told us this story…. He is from the neighbouring country, and was educated till the 10 th standard. Not able to find work, he went off to Malaysia, having had paid 200,000/- NRs to a middle man for the job. The job which he was doing over the year was a 12 to 14 hours’ job, lifting heavy weights, 7 days a week with one day off every month. Physically and emotionally abused if he and his friends do not fulfil the owners’ expectations, being beaten up very frequently, and earning about 12 to 14 ,000/- per month. It came to a point that he could not go any further and he objected to this treatment. And he had to come back, but he went back to the job after paying a fine of 75,000/-. But after going back, he could not continue since the treatment worsened and he and his 3 friends came back. Having had used up

Something I am reading....

"Rather, prophetic ministry consists of offering an alternative perception of reality and in letting people see their own history in the light of God’s freedom and his will for justice. The issues of God’s freedom and his will for justice are not always and need not be expressed primarily in the big issues of the day. They can be discerned wherever people try to live together and show concern for their shared future and identity. So these dimensions of prophetic ministry arise from our study:  1. The task of prophetic ministry is to evoke an alternative community that knows it is about different things in different ways. And that alternative community has a variety of relationships with the dominant community.  2. The practice of prophetic ministry is not some special thing done two days a week. Rather, it is done in, with, and under all the acts of ministry—as much in counseling as in preaching, as much in liturgy as in education. It concerns a stance and posture or a he

Vibrations

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A 30-year-old lady was brought to us with a “Bilateral hemiplegia”. She had a hysterectomy and appendectomy, done a week prior to this, at a private nursing home. She was running some fever prior to the same, and had completed her family. It was told to them that she needs these surgeries urgently! A week later she ended up with bilateral hemiplegia which turned out to be a Sagittal Sinus Thrombosis. She was anaemic and in severe sepsis. An unwanted surgery done which led to her cortical veins getting thrombosed. Majority of the women who come to our OPD above the age of 30 do not have a uterus.  Hysterectomy is the mode of current day contraception. When asked about contraception, they will say, bada operation ho gaya. For what? Bacha bandh karnekeliye….For contraception! Changing medical protocols in a part of our nation, when rest of the country is talking about health tourism! Cortical vein thrombosis which is supposed to be an uncommon disease is quite frequently seen in

Caring as privilege

Over last four weeks, I went through three context and care situation changes, each of which was a learning in itself, at the same time a privilege. The first, which I had the privilege to be part of for the last one year or more. Facilitating care in the context of the hospital where I am currently placed. Being part of the group of young enthusiastic junior doctors and consultants, (though I am not young chronologically!) supporting the team in facilitating care has been a great privilege. Such a facilitation is more of disengaged caring, where one is not actively engaged with hands on care, but more supporting others to provide care.  Engagement is with the care providers than the person who receives care, and to see lives being touched, by the care provided has been a great privilege. It is not always easy, but in the midst of the various challenges, I am constantly surprised how the sovereign unseen hands are working despite our challenged paradigms of thinking! I did not rea