I cure, He heals

Innumerable clinics and doctors are mushrooming up but then when one goes to a nearby clinic located to their residents, it is very rare for the doctors to be there. If the doctor is assigned to come at 6pm, he hardly shows up at 7pm and when asked of his late arrival, his assistance or the person who stays in the pharmacy or dispensary says either he is stuck in the jam or lining up for petrol. It is invariably that Nepal is faced with shortages of petrol and when it is available, the price is always seen hiking. The government and the affluent people have no problem with the increasing prices of the commodities, however the one who suffers are the poor citizens who are forced to dig deeper into their pockets. But who does care? Does the government care or take further actions to monitor inflation?

Talking about the doctors, one particular comes to my mind. And he is no other than Dr Harihar Wasti whose clinic is located near my house in Bhimsengola. When I first attended there, I had to wait for an hour and half. The staff notified me that the doctor was on his way. We got seated in the waiting room cum the clinic. The room was big enough to fit 4-5 people with a long bench and two chairs. I supposed one chair for the doctor and the other for the patient. On the table, there was a notepad with his business address, a pen, a thermometer and sphygmomanometer( the pressure measuring device). On top of the notepad, four philosophical words were embossed, which read "I cure, He heals." There was a bed at the corner of the room and a weighing scale. There was no sink for the doctor to wash his hands after checking the patients. An old fan was rattling on the ceiling. That was all the room possessed. And in any minutes the load-shedding will temporarily bring the fan to a halt.

Tired of waiting, we sat down talking and frequently glancing at the door. When someone walked in or passed by, we assumed him a doctor. Finally a tall looking man on his late 40's entered the room carrying a helmet and a bag. Wiping his hands with a handkerchief, he smiled and sat down heavily. After my daughter got seated on the other chair, he began, " Hello, what is the matter?"

"Doctor, last night she slept without any of these rashes but this morning she woke up with all these red spots. She was also irritated and was scratching everywhere hopelessly. Looks like chicken pox to me."
He examined the affected areas: face, hands and the body and said calmly, " Indeed chicken pox."
He searched his stethoscope and no where to be found. Then he mumbled, " Where is it?" Then he walked out of the room and a minute later he walked in carrying it.

He examined her chest and asked her to open her mouth. After the examination was over, he said, " She has a slight fever and I will prescribe some medicines. Her throat is perfect but in one or two days, some patients with chicken-pox may develop a sore throat for which antibiotics are required. In her case, she does not require antibiotics. Moreover, you need to apply a lotion on the rashes and also an oral syrup that helps to lessen the itchiness." With eyes contact, he continued, " There is no need to worry. It is a common communicable disease which appears mostly in the childhood. It will take 2-3 weeks and the scars will disappear. Please make sure at least for a week, she should not be bathed or washed. Keep on applying the lotion until the wounds dry out. Also, do not give her chilled food and juices. The cold will aggravate the wound. Other than that there is no harm in eating meat or dairy products. Remember, it is best to keep her indoor."

What a detailed information Dr Wasti gave me. I was pleased and it felt like I was a medical student being given medical lectures.
Then I asked, "Doctor, does she need any follow-ups if in case her fever goes up or her rashes spread?"
"I will see her tomorrow morning again. Well, the rashes will spread and it will appear more. But you do not need to worry. It is normal."

We spent 30 minutes talking about the chicken pox, children and the general matters. It was just like talking to one of the acquaintances of a long time. He did not mind telling me about the misconception about this communicable disease which many health practitioners in Nepal practice. He was really open, frank and friendly. He said to me that he works in the Teaching hospital in the day time and during his leisure time that would be in the mornings and evenings he comes to the clinic. It shows that he had made a lot of money and also indicates that he has built good relationship with the people around but then he is dedicating to the community. He said, " I have been in this area for 20 years and if I do not come a day I feel like something is missing. So even for a 30 minutes, I make every attempt to come here."

"Yes, the people here needs you. I have seen many clinics nearby, but without doctors. This morning, since you were out of the valley and you were scheduled to come this evening, I went to the number of clinics located nearby, only disappointing me to learn that the doctors were not in or not sure whether the doctors would come to the clinic. I also learned that most of the doctors come to the clinics only when they have appointments. If the doctors do not stay in the clinic, who is going to make an appointment?" With hesitations I also said that if the doctors open the clinic, they must be on the patient's services during the opening hours. You never know any type of patient may walk in the clinic and only a doctor can save the person's life.

Dr Wasti said that Nepal have many doctors. But we need quality not quantity. Some doctors do their best to perform their humanity duties. And some doctors only for the sake of their titles or simply just to fill up their given schedules.

Our conversation became like an interview. We shared a lot of information and I listened with eagerness. The fee was very cheap and the service was very good indeed. Even though I sensed that the clinic lacked a lot of equipment, but it had a high degree of quality. That quality was the doctor himself who tirelessly, cordially treated the patients. A patient may come there for a simple problem say a diarrhea but his tactics have healing power. His warm heart and his caring nature makes him the best doctor. He is not doing for money but he is fulfilling a doctor's duty and with a full humanitarian deed. What is a function of a word called " Doctor"? He knows that and he is all what he can do.

Here in a fast-paced societies like Hong Kong, money and time are everything that matters. Though we are acquainted with the doctor that we regularly consult, the services and the qualities are different nuances here. Here the doctor has nothing personal to hear, share nor talk about. While we are in the treatment room, a next patient would be standing outside the door soon ready to walk in. We are quickly told of what happened and the medicines would be prescribed. If we want to ask further, we can sense his reluctance on his voice. Within 2-3 minutes, the doctor finishes his duty and waits for the next patient. If someone goes in the clinic with a bad throat, he just prescribes a medicine, fails to tell what sort of food and drinks are suitable or unsuitable to consume. If one asks, can we drink, milk tea, he would say, " Yes" very short and quick answer. There is no time for him to have a chit chat or even provide further information about the sore throat. His clinic may be equipped with latest, expensive medical equipments, computer, well-furnished rooms, air-conditions and brochures on various treatment facilities. But he lacks that personality, that charm that makes him feel proud of his job. The doctor may earn affluences but emptiness fills him. Sadness surrounds his face as if he is not happy with his doctorate title or as if someone forced him to do this job.

Health care people should realize that patients need an encouraging word, a smile or a greeting prior to the medicines. His only concern should not be how many patients he had treated on that day. It should be " how many patients were contented with his services?" This is only an example of the small sector, say a clinic. How about the doctors who are specialized in many government and private hospitals whose obligations and contributions to the societies matter tremendously. Some diseases for instances, cancers despite of all the available treatments are incurable and only the miracle will lengthen a patient's live. If a cancer patient is cared and loved by his family members and health workers, if he is given a positive counseling to believe on him and envisages that he is strong enough to fight the disease, millions of cancer patients would survive at least for a bit longer than they are actually told of their life spans.


p.s During my follow-up, I was only charged for medications in Dr Harihar Wasti's clinic. Do all the clinics in Nepal practise free follow-ups?
In Hong Kong, no matter how many times you visit the clinic with regular follow-ups, you are charged.