Health is wealth

I have understood this proverb with much deeper understanding during my internships in various hospitals.

A person who is diseased it self explains that his condition. DIS-EASED ! Its very difficult for me to explain what it is to be in a very unhealthy state in a hospital. People from all socio-economic backgrounds get admitted with various ailments, combinations of ailments and illnesses and severe unimaginable conditions which always made me wonder – What severe thought process could have lead that? At such moments, I would consciously make it a point to tell my body how much I love it and thank it for being so at ease!

With no healthy physical consciousness, there are so many things which follow – misery, suffering, pain, low self confidence, dependency, financial burden and tension to family, worries, stress, broken self moral and a weak mind. So, at this situation when I see a patient, its very important fro a medical staff to show compassion to them in order to ease them out considerably but which is unfortunately not seen every time.

During my tenture, I even saw severe cases getting healed also. I saw patients recovering out with positivity though not all of them. After operations/surgeries when the cancerous mass is removed, patients are in trauma for some time as they have to suffer due to karmas which are stocked. After this suffering when they start getting better and discharged, they leave the hospital like a new individual. Though many of them get discharged in not a complete healthy state as they have more sufferings to bear.

At so many occasions, people vent out their deep emotions where they ask- “ why did I get this cancer, I never did anything wrong?”,” I never visited a hospital in my life, why now?”,” why I am in so much pain?”, “ I am not going to survive , isn’t it?”. This last question really shook me the most and left me numb when I was asked by a very critical patient. All I could answer her was just stay calm and things are going to be fine. But, the truth was realized by her which was seen in her eyes. I was blank for once to know that how a person feels when he/she knows he may not survive. These are the times which affect me the most. I just pray somehow some miracle happens and their suffering is reduced so that they peacefully die. That when, I fear going to the hospitals next day with an expectation that their name could be missing in the patient’s list.

On quite a few occasions as well, I could feel the negative vibes in particular hospital wards which refrains me from entering it. Once I literally strongly felt it with a force. I refused to enter that day. That when it dawned upon me that maybe hospitals are not a great place to be in. Everyday, I felt drained and so tired even at the end of a day where I work less.

I feel I have been fortunate not to see many deaths in a hospital unless I was placed in Intensive care units (ICU). In a critical condition, patients come with 10 or more different reasons for their diagnosis. That’s when I realized that these are accumulated sanskars which lead them to such a life-threatening situation. Then I realized that the medical staff is actually of no great existence at all. Beyond a certain point, medical science too gives in and leaves to GOD.

Only in the absence of health have I realized the value of health. When I was hospitalized, I knew that it’s the worst feeling to be a patient. Patient- If we see the other meaning to it which means “patient” as in “Be patient”. I guess when a person is patient (the noun) , he/she is so called because he/she has to stay patient ( adjective) during this time of suffering till the time those vikaars/ karmas are over. That’s why; they are called ‘Patient’!!