Just recently I had to act drama for a patient's relative. I knew the patient was dead. I checked his carotid pulse and I checked for pupillary dilatation. There was nothing showing life in this elderly man.
His son cried into my ear as I closed my eyes to feel if there was any pulse at all. "Please He was just breathing a moment ago, His chest was still moving."
But he was gone and there was nothing any doctor could do about it.
But I kept on pretending, the reason being...I wasn't part of the managing team of this patient. I was managing my own patient and got a call randomly from one of the clerks who had my number to come and see the patient.
I had never known it would be my responsibility to call the time of death...so I tried calling the registrar in my team to check the patient out and call the time of death or...revive him...
You would even want him back if they could revive him...After being brain dead for so long it would be no use.
So I saw family members cry and wondering what was going on...and I didn't budge. They carried a phone to the dead patient's ear and from the call on loudspeaker I could hear what could only be prayers in Igbo and conversations.
It was probably a brother or a friend...asking for life again.
So when they are dead...like dead-dead...he can't have it.
I'm starting to care less and less about death and it's the system carrying me around, showing me people I can't try to save that's causing it.
If they wanted me to learn how to save lives then they'll show me...
I swear when my first Emergency case died I felt like crying...but now I'm constantly seeking the silver lining in the death of patients...especially the critically ill ones.
For starters, the family won't fund the health industry.
Purchasing from the big pharmaceuticals that have their treatment for conditions...but got so big because of the price of treatment.
You won't be funding doctors like me who really wish anyone that is critically ill in the hospital could just die so everyone will have peace
Or the Nurses who sometimes in their need to care for less critically ill patients may neglect you.
Same goes for the cleaner, the potters, and everyone working in the health sector.
Your family can find peace and resolve:
I guess that's the only time were...in a country like this the health sector achieves anything, we can keep the patient alive long enough for them to say their necessary goodbyes.
More bed spaces for those who can survive:
While treating these cases we sometimes have to neglect cases that could have gotten better because we need to manage the critical ones...making the less critical and more manageable ones get worse.
Especially in a country like this where the doctor-patient ratio is 1 to 5,000...
Yesterday I had to manage two Units in surgery together. I did this all throughout the day. I'm extremely tired but today I'm on call as well.
That's all I have time to write about...
Just be safe in this jungle, take care!!
