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One Night @ the Singapore Hospital

When coming to Sinagpore, there were many things that I hadn't planned but they had just happened down the time, giving me some new experience every time. But if I were to pick up the strongest one which had the greatest impact on my life, it would be the Night out at Alexandra Hospital, Singapore. One of my friends caught Pneumonia and had to be admitted in the hospital under emergency. Her parents couldn't come down from India obviously in such a hurry, so we students had to take up the responsibility of taking care of her. After the day end, I decided to stay back with her for the night. 
It wasn't my first night out at some hospital. I had had one in Pune also. But situation was very different this time. In Pune, I wasn't alone all night, this time I was. In Pune it was a private room where my friend had been admitted but this time it was a general ward. Her bed was surrounded by some 5 more beds in the same cubical. All other beds were occupied by old ladies, who were around past 70 years of age for sure. My night was spent in not only taking are of my friend but also in observing these helpless souls. One of these old ladies was getting so restless and trying to get out of the bed that she had to be tied down to the bed. I could hear her cries, her begging to set her free. I couldn't understand her language but could surely understand what she was trying to say. She was so helpless..but you know who was more helpless than her? Me. I so wanted to let her free...give her some peace but I couldn't do anything.
There was another lady, who tried to get out of her bed. I was observing her for a long time. She was trying but was failing. Finally she suddenly managed to get down. She was at the verge of falling down and I just ran to hold her. If I would havebeen late by a few seconds, she might have fallen down. The situation was even worse after I did help her. She couldn't understand English and I couldn't understand her language. I tried to tell her to sit down and kept on trying to tell me something that I couldn't understand. I got tears in my eyes. I called out for the nurse. Till the nurse arrived, for those 3-4 mins when she was hugging me, I could hear her sobs...I could hear mine too. Who was she to me? Why was I crying for her? My whole night was spent just observing them. They couldn't express properly what their problem was, what they wanted. They had to be pampered like a child. 
While just drowsing, I would be waken by sudden cry of someone, sometimes by the voices of the doctors, trying hard to console these poor beings. In the middle of them all, I was the only one who was in all her senses but still couldn't help anyone in anyway. These old people didn't have much visitors, no one to accompany them through the night. What could I have done to save them from the pain? 
I can still feel their pain in my heart. I don't think I have any courage left in me to accompany my friend for an entire night again in the same place.

Comments

  1. omiMarch 19, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    touched! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 19, 2011 at 9:07 PM

    these kind of experience just makes you stronger and no doubt a better person.
    But its equally true that we are really helpless.
    So may be i would have done the same thing if i were in your place. So cheer up :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Priyanka NagMarch 19, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    @Sumedh:Ya. I guess you are right.No doubt it made me a stronger person. Considering the kind of sickness I feel in hospitals and with blood around, I am definitely a stronger person after that night.

    ReplyDelete

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