Lunch time so I thought I share a little food for thought. It was my last day at the polyclinic. A 50 yo gentleman entered my room and asked for my assistance. He had actually seen another doctor but did not get the help he wanted so he thought he try again. This gentleman is blind in the left eye, and has a dense cataract in the right. He has tremors in his hands which makes working even more difficult. He has a form from the CDC (community development council) and he needs a doctor to certify him medically unfit to work so that he can get his financial assistance. He requires a 3 month MC (medical certificate) to apply for this. As doctors, we are usually on high alert when people start a consult by asking for MCs. We are usually inclined to not give them out for fear of abuse and malingering. He continued to share more about his situation with me for half an hour - partly because I really wanted to make sure he required this MC and financial assistance. He is divorced, and he is estranged from his wife and son. He was also recently caught stealing a bun from a supermarket because he was hungry but he had no money to buy. Fortunately he was let off with a warning. More than once he broke down during the session and I had to comfort him. I was still feeling a little apprehensive and tried to find reasons to turn him down. I thought I smelled smoke in his breath so I asked if he smokes and has been spending his money on cigarettes instead but he said he doesnt. At the end of the day he could be lying. I dont know and I probably will never find out. But in the end, we can choose to be apathetic and harden our hearts to the plights of others or we can assume the best in people and give them the benefit of doubt. I decided to go with the latter. I gave him $10 as well as the MC. I wished him well for his cataract surgery and hope he can go back to work after getting his sight back. Sometimes its not about the medications we give to a patient. I hope I made a difference.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 05:27:28 +0000
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