More waves

Progressive snaps of the waves hitting the breakwaters in Vizhinjam Harbour, taken from a different position. 

Praise and Prayer Bulletin, May 2013

Below are our praise and prayer points for the month. 

1. Dr. Roshine Mary Koshy, our new Internal Medicine consultant has passed her MD exams. We praise the Lord. And we request prayers as she makes the transition to NJH.

2. I was away for about 2 weeks. I thank Lord for the leadership given by Ms. Meghala and Dr. Shishir in my absence.

3. Please pray for Dr. Titus and Dr. Grace who’ll be getting married on May 20^th and Mr. Dinesh and Sr. Priscilla who gets married on May 30^th.

4. We are in the process of consolidating the achievements of the previous years. We thank the Lord that the auditing went about without much hitches.

5. We continue to remain empanelled under RSBY. However, there are major issues with compensations which is a major deterrant for the smooth functioning of the program. Please pray that all problems will be ironed out.

6. Drs. Nandamani and Ango plan to be with us at NJH from the 22^nd June to 2^nd July. Please pray for their travel and other arrangements.

7. There is a small window period in the first 2 weeks of June, when we are going to be really short of doctors. Kindly pray for this time. Please encourage doctors who can help out to contact us.

8. At EHA, we’ve making an effort to remind ourselves that we are primarily here as spiritual leaders. At NJH too, we are well aware of the need for us to lean more on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We request you for prayers that we will grow in the Lord, our fellowship will be an offering of sweet fragrance to the Lord and we will be a blessing to each person whom we deal with, staff and patient.

9. Quite  a lot of our staff are on summer holidays. Kindly pray that they would have a good time of rest and refreshment. Do uphold the team who’s taking the extra burden in the absence of the staff.

10. There is need for more staff in the Community Health Projects. Kindly pray for the need.

11. We continue to dream about the presence of a Pediatrician, Surgeon, Orthopaedician and an Anesthetist in our team. Please pray. Specialists become all the more necessary because of laws like the Clinical Establishment Act and the continuing danger of litigations in this era.

12. We’re into a major phase of investing into our Hospital Information System. Kindly pray for Mr. Jonathan who’s giving the leadership. There is a need for quite a lot of funds. 

Patient who taught me - 2

Anotherpatient who taught me something important.

This again happened during my previous stinct at NJH.

It was midnight of a really hot summer. The hospital was not very busy. I was called to attend to a girl, about 12-13 years old who presented to emergency with severe breathlessness.

On attending to this girl whom we shall call AK, I realised that I was dealing with a long term cardiac condition,  most probably a congenital cardiac disease with end stage cardiac failure.

The X-ray confirmed it. Her heart occupied almost the whole of her chest. The veins in her throat were all bulged up. Her eyes were bulging and was very congested. She had central as well as peripheral cyanosis. I could not record her blood pressure.

I put her on the bed in the acute care. I called one of my colleagues who confirmed that nothing much can be done other than make her feel comfortable.

I talked to her parents. In fact, AK had been sick from the day she celebrated her first birthday. They had not shown her to a proper doctor. Only quacks (jhola chaps) and faith-healers (ojhas) had seen her. The family appeared to understand that there was nothing much to do other than pray.

I went to talk with AK. To my surprise, AK also was sure that she was dying. As I told her that I shall see her in the morning and was leaving, she clinged to my hand.

In between her breathlessness she told me, ‘Please ensure that I die here in this place.’ I told her that my nurses will take care of her well. Then she continued, ‘Doctor, I’ve never slept on a bed. I never knew that it is so comfortable. Please let me die on this bed’.

AK died early morning, before I reached for rounds. Her face was so peaceful. Not the contorted faces that I’ve seen in many of my patients who die a horrible death after being breathless.

All she wanted was to remain in the bed on which she ultimately died.

Tells a lot about basic human needs and wants, especially those of the poor.