During the lockdown of Covid 19 doctors have been at the forefront and a lot has been written about them. Despite their role in the society that is beyond any value, we hear disturbing accounts where the doctors are mistreated, even insulted by the very patients who should be grateful for their services, the doctors who may have to die for their profession. Sadly, during normal non pandemic days for other illnesses, hospitalisation, and visits to the doctors also we tend to overlook the value they create in the society, their efforts and a constant struggle so that we survive and live well. It is the same value they have been creating, are creating today and will continue no matter the pandemic is there or not.
As a patient, the first aspect is being human and understand that doctors are also fellow beings. Medical procedure, body and science is very complex, the doctor’s day in and day out are handling these complexities, risking rebuttal if the patient’s expectations are not met with. At this point, I also want to confess that our expectations are usually unreasonable, difficult to fulfil that too, quickly, as if the cure should have happened as soon as we have met with the doctor!
Secondly, we elevate the doctor and give them the stature of ‘god’, however there is a precondition to it. The surgery or the treatment should be successful, and no complications should have occurred. I salute the doctors here that keep a level head when the patients profess them as ‘God’, it is a huge ego boost and it must be difficult for them to not get swayed by it. If unfortunately, some complications have happened, do not attribute them to doctor alone, there is a whole system of medicines, other specialists, gadgets, equipment that may be the cause of the complication or not so successful treatment. Above all this it is the patients’ body and phycology that plays a very major role in getting cured. We have to practice gratitude and let resentment, bitterness, and regret not affect us in judging the doctors.
Thirdly feel the pain of doctors when they sense that nothing more can be done. The helplessness, the dent on feeling accomplished, there are too many emotions attached to this eventuality. They also deal like us with the sorrow of losing patients or of treatments not working. This is not easy.
Today, Again from Dr Dave, I learnt the meaning of ‘godly’. The term “godly person is one who loves God with all his heart, body, mind and soul and others as himself. Notice this is two-fold. You must love God and others. You can’t love God without loving what He has created” (https://www.definitions.net/definition/godly). The compassionate care received from the doctors make them worthy of being known as ‘godly persons’ and receive utmost respect.
