MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL RELISHES DISHING OUT SUFFERING AND DEATH

5^TH of April 2008 was the worst day in our lives. Pappa, our father, passed away on that day at 4.00 PM in the ICU of Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital in Kerala.  Death was due to complications arising from a surgery he had undergone at the hospital. The surgery was necessitated because he was suffering from a   broken hip due to a fall in the evening of 31^st March 2008 at Kottayam.

Though Kottayam had enough facilities, we took him over to the Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital, a good distance off, as he had already been a patient of the Cardiology Department there. We had enquired with a student, a relative, at that Medical College. We were told that they had a very good and efficient Orthopaedic Surgeon.

Pappa was admitted to the Hospital on 1^st April 2008. The Surgeon advised Surgery at once. He was operated on 3^rd April 2008. Soon after the surgery he was transferred to the ICU.    The Sisters in charge at the ICU advised us to go to the room at the ward and wait there as the hospital did not like the bystanders crowding in front of the ICU. They said they would contact us in the event of any emergency.  Though almost all the hospitals permit one or two persons to visit the patient in the ICU for five minutes each at a fixed time during the day, we found to our consternation that this hospital had barred the entry of bystanders to the ICU. The relatives and the dear ones of the patient had to be satisfied with a peep into the ICU through a little window they would open for a few minutes   at 4.00 PM every day. As there were many patients in the ICU we had to jostle for space for seeing Pappa before they closed the window.

Finding the urine output scanty, a Lady Doctor had visited Pappa at night on 2^nd April 2008. She advised us to wait outside the room as she was going to insert a Catheter.  We felt she was quite inexperienced as she had taken a very long time to do it. The procedure had resulted in considerable loss of blood.

The lady doctor visited us at our room at 8.00 AM on 4^th April 2008. She said Pappa was alright and that they would be transferring him to the room. It was a big relief. We started tidying up the room in anticipation of the arrival of Pappa.

There was a knock on the door at 11.00 AM. It was the Surgeon. He was accompanied by the lady doctor and a host of medical staff. He started shouting at us.  He said we were totally irresponsible. “You have dumped your father at the ICU. You are not taking care of him. I have done my job well. But there are a number of machines and monitors at the ICU. I am no expert to read or decipher them. You must go and fetch the head of the department of Cardiology to examine your father. His condition is very bad.” The great surgeon knew that Pappa had been a patient of the eminent cardiologist for almost six years. He went off. We were in a trauma. We loved Pappa very much. We could not even think of anything untoward happening to him. 

As the Surgeon did not give us an opportunity to discuss the reason for his unkindly outburst we went to his OP. He reiterated what he had told us earlier. He said it was incumbent upon the bystanders of the patient to arrange the visit of the specialists when the patient was ailing.

We located the Cardiology department. The doctors there told us that the head of the department was away and would be back after three days only. We narrated the incident we went through half an hour earlier. They said it was incumbent upon the Surgeon to refer patients to them whenever a crisis developed. They required a note from the Surgeon for their intervention. However they relented due to our persuasion and had agreed to send a doctor from their department to the ICU on the second floor.

5^th April 2008 began with bad news one after the other. Initially one doctor at the ICU told us that Pappa was alright. The second doctor said he was in a critical condition. They had requisitioned the nephrologists as the kidneys were failing.   The nephrologists told us that the patient was critical. We were asked to sign some papers absolving them of any responsibility for the procedures they were going to adopt at 2.00 PM. We were handed over a bill for Rs.3000.00 at 3.30 PM. It had to be remitted at the office at once. While my brother had gone to the office to remit the amount one doctor called me in. It was the ante-room. He said, “The condition of your father is serious. He is very serious. He is very very serious”

I rang up my son and apprised him of what the doctor had said. My son replied, “My friend at the ICU has advised me that Appicha- grand father- has passed away.” Soon after I had put the phone down, the doctor called me in again. He said, “I am sorry. Your father has passed away.” We were in tears.

I asked him whether we could go in and see our father. He was willing to permit us go in and have a look. We found to our horror the entire staff at the ICU ganging up and shouting that they would never permit us anywhere near our father who had passed away that moment. It was the unkindest cut. We could see Pappa lying on his right on the bed at the farthest corner of the ICU. Yet we could not be with him.

We took Pappa home that evening. There were a large number of mourners. As the next day, 6^th April 2008 dawned people from all walks of life from far and near stepped in to pay their last respects. No wonder, he was well liked by all the people he had come into contact with. The state highway in front of our house was clogged with vehicles.

Pappa was laid to rest at the Irampally Cemetry of the St.Thomas CSI Church, Kunthirical, Thalavady after ceremonies at home, the Church and the Cemetry.

A few weeks after his sad demise a friend who knew Pappa rang up to offer condolences. He could not attend the funeral. I told him I was sad I had taken him to the Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital for treatment. I was sad I could not offer him the best medical care. I felt he might not have passed away like he did if it had been a different hospital. The friend who belonged to the area concurred and added that the hospital had a very dubious record. He did not elaborate further.

Pappa was a good father. He was the embodiment of love. He was affectionate.  He was generous in  giving. He never wanted anything for himself. Even when he lay ill for the last time at the hospital, he never cared for himself. He was concerned that we were going without food.  He was an ardent believer. His faith knew no bounds. I heard him recite Psalms 23 and 121 as the day began and before he went to sleep at night. He said he had been doing it for a very long time. He affirmed he was not afraid to die.

We love you Pappa. We miss you Pappa. 

STEEP CLIMB UP THE HILL

Malayalam is the language of Kerala. There are variations in the manner in which it is spoken throughout the state. The Trivandrum slang popularized by Suraj Venjaramood in Malayalm films has taken it across the state. Recently I was listening to my son who had been brought up all along in Trivandrum conversing with his wife from  Central Kerala. They were discussing about the word 'THEIRI' in Malayalam. 'THEIRI' is the Trivandrum equivalent of 'INCLINE' OR A SHARP CLIMB  UP THE HILL My son said that 'THEIRI' is well known throughout Kerala and people in the whole of Kerala mention it whenever they have to speak of an incline or a sharp climb up  on a hill. Surprising was the response of the girl. She replied that  THEIRI  was alright, but it had been used by people from Trivandrum alone across the state to indicate 'INCLINE' OR A SHARP CLIMB  UP THE HILL 

KERALA'S KADAKAMPALLY VILLAGE OFFICER ASKS, "IS MUNNAR IN KERALA?"

Munnar is the most sought after Hill Station in Kerala, India. I am happy  I grew up there.

The question I have highlighted on  the title was posed by a Village Officer, Kadakampally.  I replied it was in the District of Idukki, Kerala. For a moment the Village Officer sat there stunned.

The story began with the Kerala Entrance Examination for admission to Medical Colleges and Engineering Colleges in the State. It was the dream of every parent in Kerala at that point of time that his son or daughter became a Doctor or an Engineer . It still is.  Today, we have a large number of such colleges in the state. I am writing of a period in history dating back to more than two decades when they were scarce.

The process began with the notification in the news papers that the application forms would be sold to the aspirants at an office of the Government in the city. The sale would be on for a few days only. As the demand was high the crowd had to be controlled by the Police. The sale began at 10.30 AM. It was closed at 4.50 PM for the day.  People had no complaints as they knew very well the practice those days.

I reached the place very early the next day. The serpentine queue crawled. I could   buy the application form before the officials closed the counter for lunch break. It meant I had to be on leave from my office for two days.

There were a number of pages. Filling up the form was  laborious. The icing was that I had to proceed to the Village Office and obtain the signature and stamp of the exalted official in the form confirming that the applicant was a native of Kerala – in other words the nativity certificate.

The Village Officer was very busy. I had to wait for one and a half hours to meet him. He took the form. He asked me to produce the SSLC book. I placed the book before him. He said it was the certificate of the applicant. It was not enough.  He called for  my SSLC book. When I asked him why it was required he replied he would confirm nativity only after he had verified the nativity of the father.

I wondered whether there was any other consideration for the strange demand. I told him, I was on leave that day and I had all the time in the world to go home and bring it over.  At home, I asked my wife to fish out all the SSLC books there as I did not wish to be turned back again. There were four. Armed with the Books, I returned. The Official was busy.  I could meet him after one hour.  One thing I admire about Government Offices in general in Kerala is that they teach you the art of patience.

The Official went through the application once again word by word. He came to the nativity certificate part. He verified my son’s SSLC Book  again. He asked for my SSLC Book. It was verified and put aside. He asked for my wife’s SSLC book. It was verified. He said both the father and mother had to be natives of Kerala.

He returned to my SSLC Book again. I had studied at the Government High School, Munnar. He pondered for some time. He asked me, “Is Munnar in Kerala?”  I replied, “It is very much. It is in Idukki.” The Official reluctantly returned the form with his stamp and signature.

I managed to submit the application in time. A photocopy was kept for our record.

It was after a few days JIPMER, Pondicherry invited applications to their MBBS course. The application form was duly procured. There was a hitch. The nativity certificate was to be issued by the Tahsildar.

I went to the Office. The completed application form and the photocopy of the nativity certificate issued by the Village Officer were produced before the Tahsildar. He was courteous. He said the photocopy was not enough. He would issue the nativity certificate only after the Village Officer, had affixed his signature and stamp on the application itself. I said there was no column there for the Village Officer. He advised me to get the signature and stamp of the official on the constricted space below the box for the Tahsildar’s signature.

I approached the Village Officer. He said he would not certify on the application form as there was no column for him there. He advised me to approach the Tahsildar. I explained that the Tahsildar had directed me to approach him and obtain the signature underneath the box.

I showed him the copy of the certificate he had issued three weeks ago. He said, “SSLC Books.” I placed all the five books on the table. He did not even bother to open them. He took the application form and signed on the spot I had indicated.

The Tahsildar did not keep me waiting. He certified at the box.

A question remains. Did my son clear the entrance examinations? He did not. He could have managed an admission for Engineering in Kerala. But the Kerala University did not favour him with moderation – additional marks – they had granted to regular students. He had taken Mathematics as an additional subject.  It was a case of clear discrimination and denial of natural justice. The dream went sour.

We are all one in Jesus Christ but different in Jesus Christ

Listened to Rev.Vinod Victor, Vicar, CSI Cathedral Church, Trivandrum on 20.01.2013 inviting members of CSI Christ Church, Trivandrum to the Trivandrum Convention of CSI South Kerala Diocese. There was a poignant statement. "When we were children we had a United Sunday School where children from all denominations came together. Today that unity is no longer visible. Rev.Jacob Verghis and Rev. K K Koshy were our teachers. We were very happy that they were teaching us excellent values. We were shocked to learn later in life that they were different and had belonged to another diocese." Yes, the bane of Christianity has been the man made divisions. The divisiveness nurtured carefully by the desire of those who matter to seek their own agenda and their own gains has managed to keep Christians divided through ages. It will be apt to say that they have managed to keep Jesus Christ and the values He had taught out of the purview of Christians and Christianity. They teach us , "We are all one in Jesus Christ, but different in Jesus Christ." This is the riddle Christians will have to take head on, if they really wish to be true followers of Jesus Christ.

HOME MADE CAKES

This is on home made cakes. Lila bakes excellent cakes at home. Her friends at times take advantage of her. She supplies cakes to them at minimal profit added to the cost incurred. For Lila it is not the income it generates that matters, it is the challenge it offers. She is available at 9446748630

HEMA BUYS BANANA FRUIT

The expedition to Nagercoil behind her, Hema had gone on with her life in the usual fashion.  Ramu was not exactly amused by her escapade. He could not pardon her for her failure to look after Manish. Ramu, however, did not have the time to argue it out with Hema as he had been terribly busy with a few shipments where even day’s delay would have meant loss in millions.

It was a shock to Hema when the maid had casually announced on a Saturday that she would be unavailable on the following Sunday and Monday as she had to take her mother to the hospital. The culinary expertise of Hema had always been a matter of concern for Ramu. The family of four had been surviving solely on the food prepared by the maid. Hema was aware of the personal views of Ramu on her capabilities.

Hema decided that it was the right moment for asserting herself. She said she was going to do all the cooking at home in the absence of the maid. She had worked out a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the two days. It was to be Puttu – Rice Cake – for breakfast with steamed Banana (ripe) –Ethakay – as side dish on Saturday.

Hema ventured out on that Friday to withdraw cash from her bank to purchase daily necessities for her self imposed assignment as the Chef.  Unfortunately her car had a flat tyre. She left the car in garage and took a bus to Palayam. Manish accompanied her. She withdrew Rs.3000.00 from the Bank. The purchases were made from the adjacent Connemara Market. The jute bag was overflowing. She thought it would be a good idea to keep the purse with cash– around Rs.2400.00 – deep inside the jute bag to outwit the pickpockets who frequent the buses in the city.

City buses are always crowded. It was half an hour’s ride to her place from Palayam. It meant half an hour of torture as she had to stand holding the Jute Bag and Manish with one hand and hold on to the iron bar tight as the bus went on its way. Hema did not realize  she had boarded an inter-state bus. She pleaded with a passenger who was lucky enough to manage a seat to hold her bag. The passenger had agreed with reluctance.

The conductor called out ‘Arasummoodu’. It shook Hema out of the reverie. She managed to get down from the bus with Manish even as the bell alerted the driver to proceed.  As the bus sped on it dawned on Hema that she had left the jute bag in the bus. She had to retrieve it.

Hema hired an autoricksha to go after the bus. She urged the driver to drive fast and catch up with the bus. Hema to her horror understood at last that it was futile to try to overtake the bus in an autoricksha after the chase went on for fifteen minutes. She asked the driver to turn back and take them to her house. The chase had cost her Rs.150.00.

At home, Ramu listened patiently to the misadventure. The next day Ramu with Hema called at the lost and found counter of the transport corporation. He was not hopeful that they would get back what had been lost. It was a pleasant surprise when they saw the jute bag at the counter. Another surprise was in store. The cash was intact. The person with whom Hema had entrusted the bag had handed it over to the conductor as he had alighted. He had stated that the lady who had entrusted it with him did not retrieve it.

DRIVING IN TRIVANDRUM ON 14TH JANUARY 2013

I was driving to Nanthencode to attend to my office at Devaswom Board Junction. As I entered the road in front of the Legislative Assembly from the fly over, I saw a commotion ahead. The traffic was heavy. I could not make out what was happening. I moved closer. I saw a badly damaged motor bike down on the road. There was a hold up. The vehicles behind the fallen bike stood still. There was a long line of vehicles in the two lanes. I was on the third lane. I could move ahead as there was no obstruction except broken pieces of glasses. A Police Officer in mufti signaled me to stop to enable somebody to cross the road apparently to help the fallen rider of the bike. I was allowed to proceed. I moved on. I could see parts of the bike strewn on the road. I had to switch over to the first lane to proceed to LMS  Junction and  Nathencode. As I changed the lane I saw a KSRTC Venad City Bus parked close to the Hanuman Temple. The bus was full of passengers. The driver was not in his enclosure. I presumed the bus must have hit the bike as it had switched from lane one to lane three. I did not see any blood on the road. It meant the rider was not injured fatally. There were two watch and ward staff and a Gun holding Police Officer at the gate of the Legislature Complex. I saw another traffic Police personnel running to the site of the accident. There was no way I could stop there.

I was shocked by what I had seen.

I took the turn to Nathencode at Museum Junction. It is always bumper to bumper traffic at that point. I saw a scooter rider overtake my car at that curve and cutting across to stop at the gate of Nilgiris on my left. I wondered why the person did not follow me and slowed down where he wanted to stop.

I reached Nanthencode Junction. I had to circle the round about to move on to my destination. As I was circling two bikes came from YMR to proceed to Museum. The one on the right stopped to let me through. The other did not and edged ahead. I slowed down to let him through. I was aghast to find another bike, the rider did not wear the helmet and a young woman was riding pillion, coming down from the opposite direction in the wrong track instead of circling the round about. The bike that was edging ahead somehow was stopped by the rider with inches to spare. Scared, I braked at once. The car stopped inches behind the bike. A multiple collision was averted. The bike that violated  traffic regulations went happily on its way. I saw the young woman mumble sorry to the startled rider. 

I thanked God for saving all of us from disaster.

HEMA BUYS PROVISIONS AT A BARGAIN

Hema was an enterprising woman. Her family never wanted her to go for employment.

The family was rich. Ramu, her husband, was managing his own investment firm.

Hema gave birth to two sons within four years of their marriage. The children demanded her full attention as they grew up.  When the children went to the school, Hema found to her consternation that she had nothing to do at home after the departure of Ramu and the children in the morning. She was not a good cook. Her maid did all the chores at home.

In order to do away with the lethargy she was getting herself into she began to look for opportunities in the job portals. She was a post graduate in management. A management institute had a place for her and she had readily accepted the position. The pay was good. Ramu did not object as he was aware that Hema needed some distraction. The students and the teachers at the institute respected her for her knowledge and skill. Hema was very happy that she was at last doing something worthwhile.

Nagercoil in Tamilnadu was well known in Trivandrum for the bargain it had offered for provisions. If Rice was costing Rs.20.00 a Kilogram at Trivandrum it was available for Rs.14.00 at Nagercoil. Similar was the story for all other items of daily requirement in a household. Meenakshi, Hema’s closest friend at the institute had always been narrating the savings she was making through her purchases from Nagercoil. Travel to and from Nagercoil was not difficult as there were a couple of passenger trains from morning till evening between the two cities.

Hema wanted to do a Meenakshi. She decided to go to Nagercoil with Meenakshi to take advantage of the bargain. She took her son Manish along.

At Nagercoil, Meenakshi purchased all her requirements for a month. Hema was amazed at the savings Meenakshi made. Hema bought 5 kilograms of rice. She said she would purchase in bulk at their next visit. They transported the goods to the railway station in an autoricksha.

There was a long queue at the railway station. As she reached the counter Hema found her purse missing. She remembered she had left the purse on the table of the vendor when she had purchased rice. She had Rs.5000.00 in the purse.  She had panicked.  Meenakshi assured her that the vendor is honest. She offered to return to the shop and get the purse back. As Manish was restless Meenakshi took him along.

Hema waited at the Railway Platform for the return of Menenakshi and Manish with the packets around her. Suddenly she found the rake arriving at the Platform. As she knew that her friend and son would be back soon, Hema boarded the train with the luggage. She forgot  she did not have the ticket. The train was on right time and it left the station for Trivandrum.

Hema found herself amidst a group of deaf and dumb students. The animated manner in which they were communicating with each other was a revelation to her. She was closely observing them.  It did not occur to her that the train was moving fast or that Meenakshi and Manish had not boarded the train.  

Nagercoil to Trivandrum is a short journey. As the train stopped at Trivandrum, Hema to her horror understood her predicament. She was without her son. She had no money. She could not go home without her son. She could not make an exit as she had no ticket.

Hema somehow managed to get all the packets out before the train left the station.. She sat there on the platform with luggage around her.

The vendor at Nagercoil was honest as Meenakshi had predicted. He had handed over the purse intact. As Meenakshi and Manish had reached the Platform, they saw the train leaving the station. Hema and the packets were not there. Meenakshi guessed  Hema  must have boarded the train. But there was a hitch. The train that had left was the last train for the day.

Meenakshi had always been resourceful. She took Manish to the Bus Station. They boarded a Bus to Trivandrum. The Bus reached its destination two hours after the train had reached the city. As Meenakshi and Hema were bosom friends Meenakshi knew for certain that Hema would be waiting at the Platform.

The moment Hema saw Manish with Meenakshi she forgot herself and hugged them both with joy. 

AUSTRALIA - POLICE HANDLES A MAJOR ACCIDENT CAUSING NO HARDSHIP

Sunil and Deepa visited us yesterday. We were meeting each other after a very long time. Sunil is from our native place. His father ran a Tea Shop across the road in front of our house. The family had difficult days as the income was not enough to sustain a family of four. Sreekant was the elder brother. Their mother was a very practical woman. She encouraged the two boys to go for education as much as they could. Even in those days education was a costly affair. She had supplemented the family income through lending money her husband made from the Tea Shop. Banks and money lending institutions had not reached the village at that period in history. The rate of interest was high. But the poor people who had no access to credit facilities, found the arrangement handy. They never had to run to organizations afar to meet their immediate requirements.

It was a surprise to the villagers when Srikant secured admission in an Engineering College. More surprises were in store. As he completed his course he found a job easily through campus placement. The family bond was strong. Srikant took the responsibility of looking after Sunil’s education. Sunil was a brilliant student. It was no surprise to his teachers when Sunil passed his Chartered Accountancy - C.A - examination with a high rank. Soon after the results were published an investment firm in Singapore offered a placement to Sunil. It was readily accepted.

The brothers had married. In course of time both of them had two children each. Srikant was employed in Dubai. After a few years in Singapore, Sunil with his wife Deepa and children Arvind and   Parvathy migrated to Australia. The placement in Australia was far better than the one he had in Singapore. It was a pleasant surprise when Australia granted them citizenship. The first thing Sunil did after settling down was to look for an opportunity for his brother in Australia. Fortunately he could locate a position. Srikant and his family are Australian citizens today. 

Sunil and Deepa were discussing life in their adopted country. They were happy they had migrated to Australia. It was pretty tough in the initial days. Soon they could merge with the stream of life there. Their children have wonderful opportunities they never had in their childhood.

We were horrified when Sunil narrated an accident he had been involved in. Sunil had a Honda Jazz hatchback. He was waiting at a traffic signal to move from a highway to a parallel road. Just as he began to proceed when the signal turned green an SUV charged in at a high speed violating the red signal. The SUV crashed against the door of the driver.  The Honda Jazz was a total wreck. Sunil still does not know how he had survived the accident. He suffered no injuries. However the lone passenger he had with him in the front seat suffered an injury. He was wounded by the metal part of the seat belt.

The manner in which the Police had handled the situation was exemplary. They had cordoned off the two vehicles. They were courteous. They did not use any kind of abusive language. They asked Sunil whether he was alright. They served coffee to calm their nerves. Sunil and his friend were moved to a hospital at once. They were allowed to go home after the doctors had done a thorough check up. Sunil’s friend was given medical attention and treatment. The SUV was driven by a young driver who was obviously inebriated. The accident had a sobering effect on him. He was in shock that necessitated the attention of the Psychiatrist.

Sunil never forgets the nightmare. He emphatically states that it is God’s will that had kept him alive. 

YOU HAVE TO BE KIND TO CHILDREN

Sunil and Deepa visited us yesterday. We were meeting each other after a very long time. Sunil is from our native place. His father ran a Tea Shop across the road in front of our house. The family had difficult days as the income was not enough to sustain a family of four. Sreekant was the elder brother. Their mother was a very practical woman. She encouraged the two boys to go for education as much as they could. Even in those days education was a costly affair. She had supplemented the family income through lending money her husband made from the Tea Shop. Banks and money lending institutions had not reached the village at that period in history. The rate of interest was high. But the poor people who had no access to credit facilities, found the arrangement handy. They never had to run to organizations afar to meet their immediate requirements.

It was a surprise to the villagers when Srikant secured admission in an Engineering College. More surprises were in store. As he completed his course he found a job easily through campus placement. The family bond was strong. Srikant took the responsibility of looking after Sunil’s education. Sunil was a brilliant student. It was no surprise to his teachers when Sunil passed his Chartered Accountancy - C.A - examination with a high rank. Soon after the results were published an investment firm in Singapore offered a placement to Sunil. It was readily accepted.

The brothers had married. In course of time both of them had two children each. Srikant was employed in Dubai. After a few years in Singapore, Sunil with his wife Deepa and children Arvind and   Parvathy migrated to Australia. The placement in Australia was far better than the one he had in Singapore. It was a pleasant surprise when Australia granted them citizenship.

Sunil and Deepa were discussing their life in Australia. Arvind is now fourteen and he is proving himself good in his studies. He is excellent Public Relations. Parvathy is nine. According to them Parvathy is very smart. Like all children of her age she needs a bit of prodding to concentrate in her studies. At times Deepa becomes frustrated and would threaten her that the matter would be reported to her dad when he comes home in the evening.  As Sunil reaches home after a tiring day at the office, Parvathy would run up to him and ask him, “Dad, how was your day at the office?” Poor Sunil would get to know what had happened between the mother and the daughter some time later. The sweet question from the girl would dissipate the anger in the mother and the father.

When the school conducts examinations Parvathy occasionally lags behind in Mathematics. Her refrain would be,” Well, I had a bad day in Maths today.”

Deepa rarely scolds Parvathy. Whenever it happens Parvathy would respond, “Well, you have to be kind to children.”

We had a memorable evening together. We could not listen to more as Deepa had to board her flight to Australia.