Monday, May 5, 2014

To Let Live or Not?


Who gets to decide whether a life is worth preserving or not? Who gets to decide the fate of a newborn who hasn't yet seen the world?

A newborn who might not be able to appreciate the beauty of life. A newborn who may forever be dependent on external support. A newborn who may never be able to fully reach his potential. 
Or who may…
Who may actually be a boon to mankind. Who may entertain millions with his talent. Who may find the cure to cancer. Who may just live a happy life. Who may survive as a fighter. Who maybe just another person LIVING.

Is it the doctor who works his best to save him/her from becoming an ‘it’? For a doctor it might just be an achievement... The 'I saved him' tag. The 'I gave him a second life' tag. But, is he going to be a part of his life forever? No.

Is it the parents who waited patiently to feel the first kick, to hear the first cry and then find out that the baby is 'defective'? Afterall, they are the ones who are going to live with the child… or maybe ‘bear’ with the child (harsh but true words). For some of them, the child maybe a 'burden'- a drain on their personal resources- time, strength and finances. But for others the child can be a pure source of joy.

I have seen the way a mother's face lights up when she sees her baby for the first time. 
I have also seen the way her eyes swell up when she hears that her child needs corrective surgery and that her child, being the tiny being he is, may not be able to survive through it. 
I have seen the way a surgeon's face lights up when the child survives the grueling surgery and the critical post-surgery days. 
But rarely have I seen a doctor getting really emotional about letting the child go. (A defense mechanism that comes with experience, to keep working and carry on with duties.)

So what happens when a neonate's fate is to be decided? What should be done when the decision is to be made? Whose decision is more important- the doctor’s or the parents’?

What should be done when a neonate goes into cardiac arrest? A doctor can save him with the CPR... But those crucial minutes of lost oxygen may render him a vegetable for life. An adult gets the option to sign a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) to be saved from the torture of ‘hanging up there’. But a neonate? Who gets to decide for them?


What is more important? Saving a neonate from death or saving a LIFE? Giving the ability to breathe or giving a life?

The emotional turmoil of a young doctor can rarely be cleared. These questions don't really have any answers. Experience may just harden up our souls and hearts- make us indifferent to some things.


(Apologies to the Grammar Nazis for the chaotic language.)

Monday, January 13, 2014

On the way to Eradication (Feeling proud)

Today, on 13 January 2014, it has been exactly 3 years since the last case of Polio was detected in India. Continuous efforts at various levels has brought us to this landmark- India is now Polio-Free.

As a kid, I saw a case of poliomyelitis and felt sorry for the bhaiyya suffering from it. As a student, I read about polio in books and realized there is no cure- only prevention. As a fresher medical student, I saw polio cases in the hospital and saw some hope for the paralyzed victims- in the form of rehabilitation. As a senior medical student and intern, I was a part of the prevention programs. And that! That is what I can say makes me proud.
First duty. Ghonda, Delhi
My first Pulse Polio posting was in a corner of Delhi I had never heard of. When I reached the center (a government school) on the Sunday morning, I saw a long queue of kids waiting to be immunized. The awareness created for the immunization drives is one key factor making us reach this milestone today. There are prominent banners all over, loudspeakers announcing the dates, celebrities advertising on televisions and radios, schools informing people. Usually everyone knows about a ‘Pulse Polio Ravivaar’ (Sunday).
Sun or rain- the immunization doesn't stop.
Loudspeakers announcing the Pulse Polio Ravivar. Palam, Delhi

On subsequent immunization drives, I came across the difficulties that the drive was facing- the stigma amongst the various sections of the society regarding the vaccine. The worst was the myth that the vaccine leads to infertility. (Oh! This one got me facing a mob of angry people because I gave the ‘do boond zindagi ke’ to a 5 year old Muslim boy who came unaccompanied). For some people, polio is just a disease of the poor that cannot affect their rich kids. Problems for all classes.
Creating awareness
Health talks by medical students (in the community and at the health center). Kalyanpuri, Delhi

But, the difficulties were overcome by awareness programs, political reforms, rotary organizations, international aids and global goals. There have been huge groups of volunteers who went door to door, who sat for hours educating people, creating awareness, and putting a stop to the spread of this deadly virus.
Endless number of people have worked for the Pulse Polio drives
Ice boxes being prepared for maintaining the vaccine vials. Palam, Delhi.

When we were immunizing children one at a time, none of us realized that we were being a miniscule yet vital part of this gigantic national (rather international) effort at eradicating polio. We were paid 25 rupees (50 cents) for those duties. It’s not then, but now that we have truly been paid! Paid in full with the joy of knowing that history is in the making- that polio is now going to be limited to textbooks- that no kid will be exposed to it ever again!


Child by child. Country by country. Region by region. Polio is on its way out! Cheers to that.