Wednesday, September 24, 2014

To be of service till the last breath


This post is dedicated to a doctor whom I consulted just once but who left a lasting impression on me.

About a month back I visited this doctor for a health issue. When reading this post one may think what is so great about this doctor that I chose to write about him after visiting him just once. The primary reason being that he decided to meet and treat me despite the fact that  he himself was advised bed rest by a doctor, as he was getting treated for broken ribs after having a fall.

How and why this meeting happened? My sister-in-law was his patient and was her go to man mostly when she suffers any health issue right since her childhood days. She had his mobile number and one Sunday about a month back she called to check whether he is available in his clinic so that I could also consult him for an ailment. He responded saying that he is not fully fit but can get the checkup done at home. We both visited his house. His wife opened the door for us and lead us right to the doctor's bedroom. He asked us to sit and told us that he cannot sit or stand as he has been advised bed rest. He had a fall at the steps leading to his house and got his ribs broken. He was undergoing treatment for that. Looking at him I could make out that he was either in his late 60s or possibly in the 70s. He told us that he had fallen multiple times in the past and those were more dangerous but still he never had been in a situation like this. He then started getting details of my health issue and instructed his daughter-in-law to get the medicines that he was prescribing. He prescibed medicines for a month and advised how to take them and also suggested some restrictions related to food. While all this was happening I noticed that his house was not the luxurious types that you would typically associate with a doctor. Making money did not seem to be his primary goal as is the case with vast majority of the new generation of doctors. I paid his fees and then headed for home. 

A month passed by and I was planning to consult him again for a followup. Last Sunday we called to check his availability. A lady, possibly his wife or daughter-in-law picked up the phone and informed that he will never be available. Upon probing further for a reason, we were told that about 20 days back he passed away. It was a shocking news for us because even though he was advised bed rest, he was not bed-ridden. He was talking and gesturing like any normal person.

I wish I could also be of service to society till my last breath in whatever small way I possibly could.