Report of 18 Feb 2007
Hello from sunny Chennai -
My shift key on the left is stuck, so there will be quite a few letters that are not capitalised. Welcome to the world of intense humidity and mold.
Something alarming happened at the B this week. A young woman named Sumi, in her mid-20's, suddenly died. I asked for a post-mortem, which can only be done in the Government institution here. The nurse and social workers were a bit hesitant to proceed, as apparently the Govt Hospital (GH), no stranger to bribes, could start insinuating that the B caused the pt's death and slander us. I spoke to my Dad, he gave me the name of a contact at GH, then spoke to Vandana, and we decided the p-m was vital. By this time, the social worker, nurse and Human Resources person had decided there would be no p-m and burial of the patient was completed. I was not notified until the evening, and was furious, and yelled at all 3: we would have got golden info about the cause of poor Sumi's death which would have helped in the care of our other patients. No reason for the decision has yet been revealed to me, perhaps next week. I used profanity in my yelling, and accused the 3 parties of some selfish decision-making, both of which upset the folks. I did apologise for the profanity, but let the issue of motive stay.
The veg market was busy and a couple of the vendors had consultations to make of me. It was pretty challenging to do the history and physical in the midst of heaps of okra, yams and cilantro, but nothing new to me. The guy (maybe aged 30-ish) who sells fruit has developed a head tremor and it is concerning me; i know little of such tremors and want him evaluated by a neuro. Let's see if he will go. He is very fond of my gentle husband and always asks about him if I am alone, or goes out of the way to chat to him if he is with me. Scott is revolutionising the way white people are viewed and treated.
Anu, Vinu and I went to Coorg for my Uncle Thammappa's Madha. It is difficult to think of him as gone, but we are glad he did not suffer - as I told my cousins. His dignity in his last days and his unrelenting, unwavering sense of humor are an example for all.
Tutoring was fine and 6 kids came. We were short-staffed again, and i tutored a little girl in 2-digit additions. She does not know her English letters but simply blew along in math. It was wonderful. Perhaps she will study more, and be productive, and raise a family, and not let her husband beat the tar out of her (which is rife among the lower socio-economic class). A couple of young girls in the complex have started their period ("menarche") and their mothers asked that I talk to them of the event, so I did - replete w/ anatomy atlas and discussions of sex. I told them it was fine to giggle or get grossed out. It is very easy to urge abstinence in this culture.
Let me wind up. 2 boxes of journals came from Dr. Love and Louise Hass, and i am loving every mag. Louise sent "Smithsonian" and "Vanity Fair," which all are enjoying.
"My doctor saved my life once. I called him to the house and he never showed up." - Unknown
Unw -
R
My shift key on the left is stuck, so there will be quite a few letters that are not capitalised. Welcome to the world of intense humidity and mold.
Something alarming happened at the B this week. A young woman named Sumi, in her mid-20's, suddenly died. I asked for a post-mortem, which can only be done in the Government institution here. The nurse and social workers were a bit hesitant to proceed, as apparently the Govt Hospital (GH), no stranger to bribes, could start insinuating that the B caused the pt's death and slander us. I spoke to my Dad, he gave me the name of a contact at GH, then spoke to Vandana, and we decided the p-m was vital. By this time, the social worker, nurse and Human Resources person had decided there would be no p-m and burial of the patient was completed. I was not notified until the evening, and was furious, and yelled at all 3: we would have got golden info about the cause of poor Sumi's death which would have helped in the care of our other patients. No reason for the decision has yet been revealed to me, perhaps next week. I used profanity in my yelling, and accused the 3 parties of some selfish decision-making, both of which upset the folks. I did apologise for the profanity, but let the issue of motive stay.
The veg market was busy and a couple of the vendors had consultations to make of me. It was pretty challenging to do the history and physical in the midst of heaps of okra, yams and cilantro, but nothing new to me. The guy (maybe aged 30-ish) who sells fruit has developed a head tremor and it is concerning me; i know little of such tremors and want him evaluated by a neuro. Let's see if he will go. He is very fond of my gentle husband and always asks about him if I am alone, or goes out of the way to chat to him if he is with me. Scott is revolutionising the way white people are viewed and treated.
Anu, Vinu and I went to Coorg for my Uncle Thammappa's Madha. It is difficult to think of him as gone, but we are glad he did not suffer - as I told my cousins. His dignity in his last days and his unrelenting, unwavering sense of humor are an example for all.
Tutoring was fine and 6 kids came. We were short-staffed again, and i tutored a little girl in 2-digit additions. She does not know her English letters but simply blew along in math. It was wonderful. Perhaps she will study more, and be productive, and raise a family, and not let her husband beat the tar out of her (which is rife among the lower socio-economic class). A couple of young girls in the complex have started their period ("menarche") and their mothers asked that I talk to them of the event, so I did - replete w/ anatomy atlas and discussions of sex. I told them it was fine to giggle or get grossed out. It is very easy to urge abstinence in this culture.
Let me wind up. 2 boxes of journals came from Dr. Love and Louise Hass, and i am loving every mag. Louise sent "Smithsonian" and "Vanity Fair," which all are enjoying.
"My doctor saved my life once. I called him to the house and he never showed up." - Unknown
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
12:45 AM
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