Saturday, January 5, 2013

Looking ahead . . . Anxious



The start of 2013 was quite a lot different from the previous years. Many a time, I've wondered why we need to celebrate a day as the start of a New Year. One of my seniors wonders whether there is any meaning in the celebration of the start of New Year. I also agree that it is not much different than any other day of the Year. 

Why was this year different? I've been quite anxious than the previous years.

The major reason is the planned departure of our surgeon, for a 2 year break from NJH. Being a hospital which deals with quite a lot of emergency surgical and obstetric load, a surgeon is a very much needed person in the scheme of things here. We've been searching high and low and praying a lot . . . but, there does not seem to be any breakthrough in getting a new one.

So, that is  the first reason of my anxiety.

The next anxiety that I’ve been having is the increased clinical load of the place and the lack of appropriately trained and dedicated staff. As has been described in previous posts, it is not routine clinical care which has been the most tough . . . the intensive care of patients has been a major area of concern.

In addition to the clinical load, it is the major involvement in Community Health and Development by NJH which gives me quite anxious movements. The same reasons . . . we are yet to find the complete team for giving leadership to the projects.

There is major opportunities for both clinical care as well as community health and development. And there is hardly any quality work that is happening in anything.

Few of us were discussing the other day on the possibilities here. A small hospital in a 25 acre campus catering to the secondary and probably tertiary care requirements of a radius of almost 100 kilometers is big opportunity. Pediatrics . . . Internal Medicine . . . Orthopedics . . . it’s only people who we need.

If there was one dream for me in the beginning of 2013, it would be that of more qualified and dedicated staff joining our team. It would be a great pleasure to have more people to share our 'foolishness' of trying to live out  life in this place. The only assurance I can give is that of a life which would bring blessings into the countless number of people around us. Nothing more . . . nothing less.

As I sat penning this mail, I received a call from a friend of mine. Recently, his sister was being evaluated for a very benign looking swelling of her neck. The final diagnosis was out . . . she had leukemia. All my anxieties looked minuscule in comparison to the crisis that this family was in.

She is getting treatment at one of the best centres for cancer treatment. I request prayers for this young lady . . . Her name is Rinsu Susan George.

As we in the medical profession rush for higher degrees and recognition, please remember that the world of our patients are in another realm of things. In places such as ours, there are patients who die because of the absence of very basic medical care. Or they die because they are too poor to access appropriate care.

On the other side, there are people like my friend whose lives come to a standstill because of a serious illness in the family. Many a time, we do not have an answer on why such good people go through such a tough time.

To make matters worse in this world of ours, there are events like the Delhi rape case which sends shudders through each of us.

In a time of such anxieties, my only prayer for the New Year would be that all of us would remain true to St.Peter’s exhortation to cast all our anxieties on Him (The Holy Bible, 1st Peter: 5:7) who gives everlasting life (The Holy Bible, John: 4:1-42) and to believe that God is good and his gracious love is eternal (The Holy Bible, Psalm: 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1). 

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