Mom's Surgery

I am busy with my mothers health check ups and her surgery. I just hate the visits to hospitals or doctors. I feel the facilities here are quite costly and for a common man its not affordable.

Though we have Government hospitals, where the doctors are well experienced and one of the finest, lack of equipment and other facilities along with the serpentine queues and unhygienic conditions are a real put off. Most of the poor, lower and middle class have no other option but to go there. We cannot blame the staff working in such hospitals for lacking service motive as they have their own problems, though this should not be an excuse for their rude behavior.

Then there are corporate hospitals.The facilities and the services are good but the cost is quite high. But who can take risk where health is concerned? So people like us are forced to somehow mange the finances and go for costly treatments selecting carefully the services vs cost as per our budgets. But boy here too the queues are huge and they really test our patience.

One of the most irritating things is that, no one ever lifts the phones or simply keep them of the hook,no matter even if there are so many sitting idle at the reception desk. Even if by some very remote lucky chance they do lift it, they say there is no appointment just come register and wait. So me and my mom went  by ten o'clock, registered and had to wait hour and half as there was a power cut and the generator was not working. I forgot to take along a book or my embroidery project with me in my hurry, so I was just watching others there. There were very old and invalid in wheel chairs, children, mothers with new born and so on. How difficult it was for them to wait for so long.

When the power came, there were a series of tests to be done initially, before referring to the experts. We were shuttled form one room to the other. We did not know what tests they are doing and why. We dare not ask because even before we can form the question, we are asked to go for next test. Even if we ask, they look down upon us as illiterates. No doubt they have to deal with so many people but is not a patient human? If the doctors talk to them and assure them , I feel the patient is half cured then and there. It gives them a hope a confidence to face the illness. But who is bothered or who has the time? Then again not all are like that. We do come across some caring persons who are very gentle and answer all our doubts patiently. If I come across such a doctor, I do make it a point to take time and thank him properly.

If one knows someone in those hospitals they manage to jump the queues and also get special treatment. Those who have been waiting in the queues have to just wait and watch helplessly. After all our tests finally when it came to expert opinion, the doctor was on leave that day. So what to do? Again visit the hospital on some other day.

Next day we visited another hospital. It took us the whole day for the checkups. we had to forgo our lunch and wait. Who wants to come another day and waste one more day? At the end of the day we returned home in the evening exhausted and  hungry . My mother was also very tired by the end of it but she bore it well with a smile. If this is the case with me, think about the senior citizens, invalids and children who has to face this. What about those who are working and who are not given leave so often?

Any way friends I may not be able to post during the coming week. I have so much to share with you. But I am so tensed up and my mind refuses to relax . I just want to make sure everything goes well .Still I will try....Please bear with me...Keep watching

I was busy

So sorry. I was busy with Diwali. We have not celebrated it full fledged as we donated the entire amount to be spent on crackers and other festivities to the flood relief. But still there was cleaning and weeding out old and unused stuff, decorating the house with flowers and diyas. This too we kept it to bare minimal. But visiting friends and relatives...after all this is the time to renew our bonds even those people whom we were not able to contact for some time.

I wanted to bring you so many glimpses of our festivities but with my sis and mother ill, I just could not do any thing much.

Now I am relatively free so am going to post on Indian embroideries and other arts and crafts ...Keep watching

A helping hand

Some regions of Andhra Pradesh have been hit by floods last month. Though there was not much loss of lives, there was of loss of property, crops, livestock worth millions of rupees.

India is a country of villages, where agriculture was and still is the main occupation. The crops that are grown here are diverse as the climatic conditions are. Our agriculture is dependent on monsoons mostly. The rivers and tanks are fed during the monsoon season.

This time around the monsoon which begins by mid June and continues till almost November-December, did not give much rains till mid September. A drought situation prevailed. But the heavy rains during the last weeks of September had resulted in floods in one of the main rivers-Krishna. Uasually in such situations the poor or lower middle class who settle along the banks of the rivers or tanks are the ones who are most affected. But this time around, the higher middle class and even the rich were not spared as Krishna waters entered the town of Kurnool. We all watched the horrifying scenes where people were perched atop fifth or higher storied buildings submerged up to fourth floor were crying out for help. Then they were rescued and shifted to camps. But their belongings and houses were destroyed by water. Even for the middle and upper middle class is it possible to replace all their belongins, repair their houses at one go?

They lost everything in their homes either to water or to the vandals who make most of it during the absence of the residents. All of us glued to our TV sets were praying for the safety of the people there. Hospitals, shops, police stations, everything was submerged under water. Thanks to our rescue teams, the people could at least save their lives.

The first few days we were busy packing food, water and medicines and sending them through various relief groups. Later on we pitched in by collecting cash, clothes, blankets, food stuff and other required articles as much as we could and send them there. We are still on the job.So many organisations, institutions, individuals are coming forward to help them. Specially the media helped a lot not only by telecasting the hardships, but they them selves rescued many and helped them by providing food and shelter. No matter how much we help, it is much less as millions, lost their everything and it will be months before they can even settle down. Those who were rich once and were giving a helping hand to others were seen embarrassed to be put in relief camps, but what could they do?

But what moved me the most were some little snippets of news. Children giving away their pocket monies and savings, beggars begging and donating from their earnings. One daily wage earner who is not sure of earning one square meal a day, donated his earnings of two days for flood victims. Its these selfless acts which should motivate other people who can afford but don't help out.

We have already decided not to celebrate Diwali and donate to those people. We are just going to restrict it to very low key-offering prayers and praying for all those brothers and sisters out there. How can we be happily celebrating when our own fellow country men are thrown out of their homes?

My humble request to any one reading this, please do help the victims by donating what you can however small it is . The Government or some organisations/institutions alone cannot help so many millions out there.

I just hope after reading my plea even one person helps in any way, it would be a blessing for all those suffering there........