Tired of all the expectations!

Doctors are not just burdened with work but also with a ton of expectations, from patients, their families and society as well. You don’t get to begin your day in a brilliant coloured corporate boardroom hi-fiving a good-looking colleague. Rather you usually begin and even end your day talking to a gloomy looking patient telling you his sad story. Very often you are further burdened with the HOD asking you to run some random errands. Most of your days are spent running between the OPD and the IPD, trying to manage the never ending stream of patients. A regular day starts at 8 am with just a simple toast and tea. Breakfast is a luxury you haven’t had time for several years. Sometimes the days begin even earlier than 8 am or the long night shift never ends. Well, let’s face it; we have all gone through the daily grind of being a doctor, faced our fair share of expectations, and powered through the rough days. Mostly we still manage to come out of all this smiling.

First of all, becoming a doctor is not a joke and requires extreme mental and physical fitness. Ordinary people can’t hold their bladder for 2 hours. Ever seen the queue outside the toilet in the 2-hour Delhi Hyderabad flight, while you hold it for 10 hours in the operation theatre? So relax, you are a class apart. You’re the one delivers a baby aboard an indigo flight while the mindless airline staff takes selfies with a preterm 1.5Kg baby without ensuring basic hygiene. Hence, worsening the risk for COVID-19 transmission.

So, the first message of this write up is: BEING a DOCTOR is not a JOKE and these internet educated people are sissies, simply looking for some masala and sympathy. For them Homeopathy is good despite no evidence of its efficacy and inspite of the fact that Lancet called it the biggest scam of the century. These dumb heads would rather believe a smooth-talking baba than science and evidence. They actually deserve what the government gives them i.e. no hospital beds and no health care.

However, in the face of all this frustration and anger we might be feeling, let’s not forget that there is a meaning behind all this. Somebody on this planet has to volunteer and gear up to reduce the misery being spread by politicians and people alike. Like Lord Shiva, someone has to drink the poison and you’re the one doing it. Surrender is not the way. Your HOD may be cumbersome, the consultants selfish and self-absorbed but you mustn’t let these selfish and inferior people force you to give up. You must rise and shine for a bigger purpose and that is to make your mother and country proud.

You’re the pillar upholding this ramshackle of a heath infrastructure that is crumbling. While the MLA of your district enjoys a bevy of official cars and a luxurious office, the poor District Medical Officer sits in a non-descript building without any air conditioning, doing so much paper work apart from finishing an OPD of 200 desperate people who have nowhere to go. If these people go to the police station they are beaten and if they go to the politician they fear being murdered. So, they go and vent their frustration at a poor and studious 24-year-old MBBS doctor. Not that you need to take any non-sense, but showing a bit of empathy will surely help you reduce your stress level and remedy the angst of the hostile and low IQ homosapiens.

The COVID-19 situation has been a whirlpool of death and equivalent to near extinction. You are one of those brave soldiers who are fortunate enough to have been selected for the mission to defeat the virus. Perhaps, that’s the reason you take all the crap from your seniors, while sacrificing your personal well being, going to duty in a PPE kit on an empty stomach. This is not a joke. None of the non-medicos have the attitude, physical and mental capability required to wear this battle gear. You’re a class apart, a cut above the rest. You’re a doctor who must not accept nonsense. Your beliefs are rooted in giving it back when the situation demands. Instead of being angry at a poor patient, make the pseudo intellectuals cry.

This is a flat line ECG. It takes 5 and half years to understand the basics of this.

And yet, a 12^th fail’s relatives barge in only to ask you to take body temperature as body is warm. They have no shame in beating the doctor up and in damaging hospital property. In such an event, all legal provisions must be used and non bailable warrants issued against the culprits.

To cut the long story short, the take home message for a young and dashing doctor is:

1. You’re born to drink poison and reduce the suffering of the poor and downtrodden.
2. You are mentally and physically superior.
3. Under any circumstances don’t try to hurt your-self. Your parents and loved ones are more important than everything else.
4. Talk to your parents daily, even if it’s only for a couple of minutes after the end of your shift.
5. Don’t rush during the removal of your PPE kit. Ensure that you use the sanitizer liberally and allow it to air dry.

Thanks for reading all my rambling in this crazy time. Love you all!

Dr. Marwah