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| "The Heart" - Bindis on fiber glass by Bharti Kher |
Sreevalsan J. Menon, one of the most promising Carnatic Vocalists and an innovator in his own right, wrote to me after reading my last post “One Day with the Terminally Ill”. He felt that I was going overboard by criticizing a well-run NGO and I should have applied some restraint. “Restraint, no matter what, is a virtue”. Though I don’t negate this view, I have a difference of opinion on the application of restraint. My worries are centered on the timing. When should one apply the breaks? Is it a natural process based on inputs provided by the sensory organs or does it involve a bit of logical thinking? What is the dividing line between restraint and cowardice? Is there an eligibility criteria for the person who responds?
I shall cite an incident from my life which happened more than a decade back.
One of my relatives was admitted to hospital. He was running a carpentry workshop in town and two fingers of his left hand got injured while mending the machines. He was taken to a famous private hospital and got admitted. When I visited the patient, he was seen packing up his bags. The hospital bills had already been paid. In fact, he was staging a walkout. My relative was visibly unhappy. The doctors were not giving proper attention, he said. He was required to cough up additional money to please them. "Upasana" was a private hospital and the professionals were being paid for the services. Bribing a doctor didn’t make sense to me. But it was a fact. The orthopedic surgeon had to be kept in gladness by separately visiting him at home. My relative didn’t do the greasing and as a result the minor operation was performed late in the night which should have been done early in the morning. He was subjected all kinds of tests which only helped in raising the hospital bills. He had been at the receiving end of ill treatment for a week before he finally made up his mind to leave. Now, an additional hassle blocked his exit. The doctor was not willing to hand over the discharge summary to my relative without which the treatment couldn’t be effectively continued elsewhere. Every patient is entitled to get the history of treatment. I decided to meet the erring doctor. As expected, Dr.George was not the type to give in so easily. He kept me waiting for four hours before his OP and finally cancelled the appointment. His colleagues told me that he was in the operation theatre. I scurried to the operation theatre which was situated on the third floor. I pushed open the main door. A couple of doctors came rushing. Dr.George was busy performing an operation inside and it wouldn’t be possible to meet him, they said. Even after the operation, the chance of getting an appointment was next to nothing, they added.
All right. I am not going to move out from this place unless I meet him.
We shall call the security guards and kick you out.
Go ahead.
They pushed me out of the room. A scene was created. People began to gather outside the theatre. The formidable Administration Manager turned up in no time. His strategy was different.
Please give us a complaint in writing. Let us see what can be done.
He took me to his ground floor office. I jotted down a complaint to the Managing Director. But there was a hitch. The MD was not immediately available. He visited the hospital once a while and I was supposed to deposit my long drawn complaint in the box provided. I didn’t have to worry because the key was with the MD himself.
I felt defeated. Reaching back home, I consulted a lawyer. From the legal point of view I didn’t stand any chance to win the case, the lawyer said. The court needed proof and I didn’t have any. Moreover, the doctor could allege that his patient walked out contrary to his instructions.
So what is to be done? I asked Sanjay, the advocate.
He raised his right hand and showed a gesture.
One good blow is enough.
I tried a less proactive method, wrote a letter to the Editor, “Hindu” lamenting over the fast disappearing ethics in medical profession.
The letter never saw the light of the day.
Looking back after a time-gap, I should be able to answer the questions on the application of restraint. Do others rate my action as immensely dismissible? Am I a very immature person disrupting a senior doctor in discharging his duties? What is my locus-standi in this case?
Frankly, I don’t think I have over-reacted. The whole act was primarily based on the first impulse in my mind. Others didn’t matter at that point of time. Things like prestige, physical abuse, long-term repercussions etc. were secondary. In my opinion each one of us gets this flash in times of urgency but we never bother to listen. We are normally pre-occupied with the “after-effects”. We start fore-seeing several moves in time like a chess player and let the moment go by. I don’t say this is wrong. Wisdom should always prevail. But let us not mistake it for cowardice. There is a thick dividing line between the two.
Now, if you ask me how would I react if I have to face the same incident tomorrow, my answer draws a blank. I really don’t know. One lives and learns and it may be true that I have turned wiser. I know fully well that the establishment cannot be changed easily. From martial-arts masters to modern-day revolutionaries, the oft-repeated advise is “Never under-estimate your opponent”. In fact your adversary is much more strong and clever. He is empowered with vast resources . A solution by physical means can deliver results only in movies. So, the chance is that I may not directly confront the likes of Dr.George if I am to face a similar situation tomorrow. Still, I can’t say for sure. The inner impulse decides.