The extra mile

I grew up in a consumerist world. Not a huge city, but big enough for most people to be educated at that time about consumer rights. You give, you take what is equal to what you give. That's how trade works. That's how working life is supposed to be. Giving more is charity, and charity is only done to those who can't afford to take care of themselves. Taking more is robbery. Letting others take more of you is being stupid and unaware about your rights. That was my shallow thinking.

Jesus talked about going the extra mile, turning the other cheek. Something that doesn't really sound practical in today's world. It's always every man for himself. Even in this so called 'noble' profession of being a doctor or nurse, it's still every man for himself. Take care of your job, get over and done with it and enjoy your rest because tomorrow's going to be another long day that's going to drain every bit of energy from you. Yes, the job gives us satisfaction, but a lot of times the frustration can be as much as, if not more than the satisfaction we get. Little things that patients and their relatives do can annoy us, not intentionally, but it does when you already have that much things to do and that little time. Things like orbiting around the doctor asking every 5 minutes about yourself or your child when we just told you 'there's nothing we can do at the moment but wait for lab results', calling in the middle of the night to ask a question which medical people would perceive as common sense, not coming to the doctor when you ask them to and coming months or years later scolding us for your worsening disease, complaining, another crying patient etc. None of this are the patients' fault, and some of this might seem like the world to patients. And we understand at times, how you are in the dark about you or your family members' condition,and we understand it's not your fault to act that way during times of uncertainty, but to a sleep-deprived doctor, emotionally drained from seeing patients in bad shape, dealing with many other acute conditions, that is really the last thing any doctor wants to see or hear.

Frustration. It really gets to me.

But.

The staff at RSUB. My goodness. They have amazing patience and tolerance. So amazing that i feel quite ashamed at myself. I get annoyed, frustrated at petty things. They hold their cool and smile their way through, serving with the ultimate servant hearts, as if they were treating their own family members. They seem to always stay optimistic, look on the bright side of things, and after all that, put their feet in the patient's or patient's family's shoes, empathising them. They don't just go an extra mile, they go extra miles. Really. Despite all that frustration. It's a lie to say that they don't get annoyed. Every one's human. Doctors are humans. And just as much as how traffic jams annoy motorists, doctors get annoyed at times with extra draining of energy with all these 'things'.

But they see past it. And they stick to their goal, to help the patients. They stick to their hospital motto - To serve and not to be served, even when the patients might not seem like they deserve it. All patients get treated equally at Serukam. The rich, the poor, the nice, the cute, the annoying. All treated the same.

For some doctors, dedication means skipping lunch because they can't bear the thought of patients waiting for them while they eat.

For others, it means staying up late into the night when their patient is in critical condition, even though there are on-call doctors taking care of them.

For some, it means lending a listening ear to a patient who needs one, listening to his or her every groan and moan, even if it is the 126th time you've heard it. Even if the patient's back to denial, or angry, or bargaining, or depressed.

For some, it means trying your best to resucitate a patient, even when you know that hope diminishes every passing moment. Even if it means an hour. Even if it means it's late into the night, or early into the morning.

For some, it means remembering the patients, putting them above yourself, praying for them constantly and thinking about their welfare.

For all of the doctors there, it means leaving the comfort of the city, and financial wealth, to serve the underserved.

It means serving the poor, as hard as it may be.

Oh, how foolish was i to think that serving the poor was easy, that the poor would welcome you with arms wide open just because you are there, abandoning your comfort zone for them.

Oma said, the poor would only forgive you your gift if they see your love for them.

Giving is after all a privilege, and receiving can mean being powerless. Poverty after all is being powerless.

Poverty. that deserves a post on itself.

But back to the point, I've always thought that a lot of doctors are dedicated doctors, meaning they are dedicated to their job. After their working hours, however unearthly that may be, they would then revert to their normal activities during their sacred rest period.

These doctors showed me a different type of dedication. They weren't just dedicated doctors. They were dedicated Christians. They were dedicated to their cause - of fighting a good fight, running a good race, to be more Christ-like. Their lifestyle, their attitude, their outlook in life, their conversations, the way they cared about everyone - fellow doctors, nurses, patients, us; it just showed. From the founders, to the newest doctors, they are a dedicated lot.

And this people, they are not just dedicated today, cold tomorrow. They've been persevering in showing dedication. I really really admire that. I have so much to learn.