Friday, February 10, 2012

Tracing an appendix.... till a mayflower tree

[For those who doesnt know... Appendicectomy is one of the basic surgeries. In it, we hook out appendix and trace it to its base before dividing and taking it out] She came in as just another patient, 14 yr girl with lower abdominal pain, clinically a routine appendicitis. As our lab doesnt do HIV screening at night, we asked for the by stander to get it done from outside. A frail old lady came in. Obviously we asked for someone more responsible only to realise that there is no else to come. She was an orphan, second of 4 girls, her father was missing for years and her mother died in Bombay 2 years ago. Old lady was her grandmother. We somehow arranged things for surgery and got it done next day. A beneficiary card in RSBY scheme or a BPL certificate is almost an Aladdins lamp in Medical Colleges these days. She had none. Atleast some certificate from local Panchayath can help. We were trying to find out which area she belongs to. Then I noticed her address. It was just her name, and the name of a bus stop near our hospital. So we asked were exactly and she described precisely.... "ünder the may flower tree there" As i drove through that road today I searched for the may flower tree. There was a shack, or more aptly a tent, covered by tin sheets exactly beneath the may flower tree. I have passed through the same place many a times. Never did I notice such a thing there. Nor would I have imagined a family of 5 staying inside that. Just the thought of an old lady and 4 young girls in such an insecure dwelling is horrifying. Especially when its just half an hour away from where Soumya was torn apart and brutally killed a year ago. On second thought, I know there are many homeless people around. I know its a dangerous world. Still when you cross roads with someone like her , it pauses you for a moment. But i have no option but to proceed with ward rounds! Do I? Tail Piece: When we took her to OT she was asking for my female ward intern. She wouldnt let us induce anaesthesia or do surgery without her. At first I was annoyed, then I felt envious, then I silently prayed for my HS "Oh God, let this profession dont destroy the humaneness in her!"

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