THIS CAN HAPPEN VOL. 4
THIS CAN HAPPEN VOL. 4
Dr. Gangadhar Sahoo
It's a rush outdoor in the month of December of mid 1990s in VSS Medical College Burla . A gentleman with a letter of reference from one of my friends of Sambalpur came to my OPD with his wife to consult me. Her was the 2nd pregnancy of 36 wks with heart disease. The first pregnancy was a term still birth. That delivery was conducted in the district headquarters hospital Sambalpur under the supervision of a specialist. She had a vaginal delivery but it was a still born . So the cardiologist advised her to get her admitted in a medical college at least four weeks before the expected date of delivery(EDD) , where every facility would be available under one roof and a team of experienced doctors would be taking care . For that she had come for check up and hospitalization at least for safety and quality care.
After Obstetrical examination in the OPD she was admitted. On evaluation it was found that her vitals were normal. She was a sickle cell carrier with 36 wks pregnancy. Ultrasound with doppler study was within normal limit as per her gestational age. Cardilogical evaluation was without any features of failure but with moderate risk. So her risk factors in the index pregnancy were 1. Heart disease with moderate risk. 2. Previous still birth so no living issue 3. Sickle cell trait. For obstetricians of my unit were specially under pressure because of three reasons: 1. Observing a high risk pregnancy for one month. 2. A local patient of Sambalpur, so litigation was inevitable 3. Whole team had to be on toes till she is discharged. They would be fatigued taking that responsibility.
In a team meeting we decided that she should be examined in detail twice a day, she would be trained in daily fetal movement count and every week certain investigations like Hb% and Urine examination will be repeated. Ultrasonography with doppler study should be done every week to know the fetal condition . One week before the EDD the final decision would be taken for the mode of delivery. On that day I got a call from my daughter to visit her for some medical problems. So I decided to visit her and come back within 4 to 5 days. Since the EDD was more than 10 days I took the decision to go to Hyderabad and come back. I handed over the charge of the patient and my ward to a reliable senior faculty . I asked him and my unit doctors to take special care to the high risk patients and moved to Hyderabad. Everyday I was getting the information of the patient. After finishing my daughter's work I returned to Burla . Some how or other I was very much apprehensive about that particular patient. Always praying God for her well-being ," Oh ! God . Let her be fine till I return. "
I went to the hospital at about 10 am . All my team members were waiting for me. Their body language was different. Everyone was standing still, head bent , shoulders drooping and not a single word was coming out their mouth. The grave silence told me that something grievous has happened. The senior most faculty of my unit told that the heart patient delivered a still born male baby last night. Hearing this I became speechless , lost my courage to meet my patient, what to tell ? what to ask? I simply passed by her bed telling that it was our bad luck. "We failed to give you a healthy baby. Man proposes, God disposes." She appeared unmindful without paying any heed to my words. I was also expecting the same reaction from her . Can any explanation or consolation calm down any mother who had lost her baby after carrying him for 9 months and staying one month in a hospital under the care of the most reputed doctor with a healing touch ? Will she ever welcome with a smile to such a doctor who had left her at the time of need ? I got my reply and moved on .
In the evening round I met her husband and one of his relatives on the corridor of the hospital , where our whole team was discussing about a serious patient in the labor room. Both of them came to me and started expressing their anger , dissatisfaction , disappointment and hatred , " Dr. Sahoo ! We had brought our patient to you because we have heard that you are the best doctor in this part of the state. We had a great respect for you . But what did you do? You left us at the nick of time in the middle of the sea. You left alright. But who was in charge of you? You are the leader. You are the driver of the bus . You left giving charge to a helper . Imagine what might be the fate of the high risk patients? On that fateful night only the trainees were managing. Knowing fully well that our patient was a heart patient, no senior doctor on duty had the slightest duty sense what to speak of empathy to see our case . They were just remote controlling and the helpless trainees were just praying God for our patient . She was rolling on pain and crying for help . She was begging with folded hands to give her a live baby by doing a caeserian section. But no one payed any heed to . At last like Draupadi in Kuru Sabha she prayed God but it was too late. A dead male baby was delivered. All our dreams were shattered within a few minutes. What for we had come here ? To take a dead baby? Had it been a living baby , we must have garlanded you and taken you on a procession in every street of Sambalpur. But there's nothing to give you in return except warning you not to repeat the same with any other patient in future. "
The doctor on duty was present there but deaf and dumb. He had nothing to say. He was simply listening to the words of the aggrieved attendants which were piercing like sharp arrows through my chest . Till date I am sreaching for my fault. I can't forgive the two senior doctors on duty. But pray God to forgive them with a lesson of not neglecting their duty again.
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