Santhosh's ramblings

Observing the health care systems going through changes in the current pandemic is déjà vu if you know the history of health care. There was a day, when we had leprosy hospitals, TB hospitals and in the recent past HIV hospitals because we were afraid that these patients will infect others or there was stigma associated! Soon the mainstreaming concept came in and slowly TB, HIV and to some extend Leprosy got mainstreamed, of course with infection control practices, isolation wards for MDR TB etc. being part of regular health care system. This season is one for creating COVID-19 wards, hospitals, and care centers. I am sure once COVID-19 becomes an endemic, we will get back into mainstreaming of COVID19 care and setting up systems for infection control, respiratory illness isolation systems etc. Similarly, there is the déjà vu of health care systems. With increasing complexity of care, in COVID19, nurses are coming to the forefront and wards and systems are being managed by nurses.

There are few realties that we need to hold on as we go through this season. One – the Present painful reality of this season - reality of pain and suffering in our midst. The pain of bereavement, and loss many families are going through. The post covid infection challenges, the ongoing disease related and larger impacts of the pandemic on lives of many.  Especially the families from lower socio economic strata, whose stories that hardly reach the media. Numbers should not numb us https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2021/05/let-not-numbers-numb.html , but should move us with compassion. I am reminded of 2 quotes from Henry Nouwen “ Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not, 'How can we hide our wounds?' so we don't have to be embarrassed, but 'How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?' When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become