The Patient

On 9th September 2014, I had an appointment with doctor for my hyper acidity check up at Ramathibodhi hospital that I waited for one month long to seek medical advice. Ridding on the scooter from V.M Mansion to hospital is very interesting and dangerous travel too. As the scooter moves between the huge buses crammed in jam roads to reach faster to the destinations. Having reached the hospital and I was asked to do blood pressure check up in different counters. I was sitting on the chair and nurse  asked me in Thai which I could not understand anything and I heard word like "Time". Therefore, I took off my wrist watch and kept on the table. To my surprise the nurse  started laughing at me which made me feel so embarrassed and shy in front many fellow patients behind me. Oh! It was such bad hospital service I received as foreigner. A senior English  speaking nurse attended me and she made me feel as deserving patient with her smiling look and caring way. The quality of nurse and behaviors in the medical service is not that developed as expected. Such small incident could bring down the great image of Ramathibodhi hospital in the eyes of foreigners who always trust Thai medical services and care.   

Having done the blood pressure check up and waited for doctor for more than two hours to call my name by the assisting nurse in the long line. I had good nap for while on the chair when everyone is chat with their friends. I am foreigner, no one speaks to me but they stare at me which made feel more discomfort to sit on the chair for that long hours. Some young lady patients are busy with their mobile chat with their friends on Facebook and lines to keep ourselves engaged fully. Surprisingly, one man came with pushing his wheel chair loaded with young boy patient holding magazine on his hand. Looking at this boy's outer appearances, I was him watering his mouth frequently whereby his mother used to clean with handkerchief every now and then. His hands looked like half paralyzed.  Sometimes, this boy used to read magazines silently on his wheel chair. The father and mother get few minutes to rest on the chair peacefully. 

Oh! This boy becomes restless frequently  and starts pulling his wheel chair after few minutes of reading. The sad looking father has no option to pull his wheel chair slowly and make the round before turn comes to visit the doctor in the chamber. The mother too look very sad and gloomy in her eyes. How much pain and agony is undergoing with his parents I could see by their physical look and facial mood. Indeed, these parents are suffering more than the patient (son) because of psychological trauma and torture given by the ailing son. Both of them try their best to cope with the worse situation and hide their sad feeling underneath and I as a parent could detect their pathetic situation  that they undergo. 

When the disease symptom attacks his brain, the boy shouts like "an elephant" in front all these waiting patients. This really made the parents feel worse and embarrassed  in front of us. They both try to cool down the boy but it is beyond their control. The boy is a patient and he has no control over his disease which is very strange in this modern world. Such type of disease and symptom of  shouting as " an elephant" by human being is scary and confusing to me. Immediately, I prayed to Guru Rinpoche for his help to this boy's sickness to cure as fast as possible since the parents are traumatized equally and the boy looks so weak and unstable mental state.   That was my inner and silent prayer  dedicated to the boy's health. How do we feel if our kids suffer in the same way? The  parent showers unlimited love and care for their kids when I saw these sad couples trying their best to treat the boy with lot sacrifices. May their suffering be reduced and enjoy the happiest moments thereafter was my sincere and humble prayer dedicated to this unknown parents and ailing son.

Mindu Wangdi