Santhosh's ramblings

Recently I was admitted to a medical college for a couple of days, with a medical emergency, that too amid the COVID19 scare. After 25 days I am still on a learning curve – the lessons I am learning through the ongoing reflections of my time at the other end of the system. I am quite confident and comfortable to be the care provider, the grey-haired senior person in the team supporting and encouraging the team and sorting out challenging issues. And to leave the normal routines to the rest of the team. But to be one of the many patients in the emergency department (ER) of a tertiary care system and subsequently go through the rest of the hospital stay was a new, challenging but rewarding learning experience. As I was wheeled into the emergency department in severe pain and with absolute dysphagia at about 8.30 pm,   (let me not keep you in suspense – I have a uncommon, not so serious disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis, (EoE) that could lead to food impaction and dysphagia,...

Facing pandemics – four more leadership principles In my previous blog on leadership in pandemics, I introduced six guiding principles: Do not give in to panic; Innovate if we don’t have resources; Be compassionate and protect the most vulnerable; Have faith in God and reflect and learn what he is teaching us; and Review and change things as new evidence emerges  As I investigate my own life and the context around, I observe a ‘continuing panic’. Why? Because of the myriad information coming from the nations that are severely affected. This information is creating a deep sense of anxiety, fear and panic not only among the public but also among health care professionals. This also emerges from a feeling of uncertainty. We in those countries yet to have a huge burden of coronavirus cases but locked down to prevent and mitigate, are overwhelmed by the predations and future potential of how bad the spread could be. The uncertainty is creating sleepless nights, and inability to t...