THERE are many who think that our world is getting too divisive. That
people are disagreeing about everything under the sun, and are
increasingly resorting to silly antics to make their point.
We can, under such circumstances, feel despair, or we can perhaps take a look at things from a different perspective.
And
there is no better place to start than to visit someone in the
hospital. But instead of going straight to his room, you should explore
the hospital a bit.
At the accident and emergency unit, you see
people in life-and-death situations. There is a lot of activity there as
anxious relatives and friends mingle with overworked doctors and
nurses.
You might want to take a detour to the orthopaedic
department. Here you may observe patients with plaster casts sharing
stories about road accidents and how many broken ribs they have.
At
the oncology ward, you will see patients young and old, of different
creed and walks of life. And if you listen, you hear stories about how
non-smokers can get lung cancer and that hair loss due to chemotherapy
is only temporary.
A visit to the childrens oncology ward is
bound to bring tears as you see youngsters still full of joy even as
they go through treatment.
If you start feeling a bit depressed,
head to the maternity unit. There you can see rows of babies, and happy
fathers peering through the glass windows rejoicing in the new additions
to their families.
And I would certainly recommend a visit to
the blood bank where we will be reminded that whatever the colour of our
skin, the colour of our blood is still the same red.
Just as the patients come in all sorts of shapes and colours, so, too, do the doctors, the nurses, and the hospital staff.
If
you can forgive some of the complaints about bad service, you will
agree with me that in the hospital, all are committed to helping the
sick get better in a very cosmopolitan environment.
Besides teaching us that illness throws out biases, a hospital tour can also give us insight into how we can be good visitors.
When we visit someone in hospital, there is always the danger of saying and doing the wrong thing.
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