Experience with TMH

Since name of Tata is associated with Tata Memorial Hospital anybody would expect efficiency and discipline. Unfortunately it is far from true. I have seen that the Doctors are experts, their labs are well equipped, their diagnosis is good but the administration is hopeless. Patients are not treated as human beings leave about treating them as patient. Nurses and ward boys barring a few, literally shout at the patients. In the Day-Care unit, hardly one or two out of 6-7 nurses would talk politely and smile, rest would frown and treat you as if you are an intruder. Patients have to keep standing for hours in the OPD because there are very few seats provided compared to the number of patients visiting. It appears from behaviour of support staff that they are under huge stress. It may be because of large number of patients per staff and crammed accommodation, because if the space around a person is reduced stress sets in. Agreed that the population of cancer patients is so high and increasing day by day but if administration is innovative they could find solutions. In my four months experience I have seen that the situation was only going from bad to worse.
Waiting for your turn in the OPD is a big ordeal. If one is comfortable standing and waiting for his turn with occasional shouts from ward boys you can be sure that the chemo therapy is yet to be administered to that patient. I have waited for five hours in various queues on my fist visit that too with empty stomach. Here only cancer in the patient is nicely treated but human in the patient is thoroughly ill-treated.
I find the greatest advantage in getting treatment from such typical Govt like hospitals is that your ego is completely thrashed. You feel like you are a beggar begging for restoration of your health that too after paying heavy amount. You are made to forget your so called position in the society. I feel, next time I go to any Govt department I would prefer to squat down on the floor even though a seat is offered to me - just out of injected humility. Great isn’t it ! …I am close to achieving Nirvana – positive side of a torture.

Stress Management

In my case I completely rule out stress due to fear of death, as a matter of fact neither I have slightest fear of death nor I have any worry about what will happen to my family. I have done my best to ensure that my family will be able to lead normal life in my absence. After all human beings have limited control over the destiny and things should be left to the Almighty beyond your capacities. Moreover mine is low grade NHL so I am sure that even if I had not treated this no major problems could have appeared in next 3-4 years. I feel that the reasons for stress pertain to [1] physical pain and weakness, [2] incapacity to lead normal life and [3] emotional state of mind which fluctuate from time to time out of the frustration that the ailment has forced me to divert my energies from planned course of action.
Whenever I had such physical bouts of stress for initial few hours, I found that my brain stopped my usual objective analytical approach; I am forced to lie down for some time. These physical bouts are caused mainly due to severe headache, pain in the legs, feeling of weakness or feeling of inexplicable uneasiness due to breathing troubles. I knew right from the beginning of detection of my cancer that even the slightest show of my stress will cause big stress to my wife. When my objective faculty awakens I ask myself whether I am trying to seek more attention. Whether I am looking for sympathy? Normally these two questions pull me out of the melancholy. Being head of the family I cannot afford these luxuries. This sound little impractical but as soon as such doubts flash across my mind I pull out a book by Pu. La. And start reading that. I call it a Pu. La. therapy. I sincerely pity those who do not have access this sure-shot remedy.
Emotional stress is more difficult to deal with. I had a different plan of leading my life in my mind. I had applied for voluntary retirement in the month of November but within a fortnight this cancer was detected and therefore I am forced by circumstances to keep my plan on hold. Lot of stress is generated due to this frustration. I feel completely out of control of my life and have to meekly accept the present situation. I have habit of day dreaming, as a result, I keep on planning for future course. I am also very impatient by nature and has habit of expecting quick results from my plans. Unfortunately I am unable to execute my plans. I have no option than to accept the situation.