Twists and turns

He passed away. The man with the lung cancer I wrote about earlier. At 2.29 pm he exhaled for the last time. He finally found the rest he so desperately wanted. Met his son briefly at the stairway. He was squatting at the steps, busy talking with some one on the phone and smoking! Normally I would have told anyone I see puffing there to stop smoking but today I kept quiet. Let him smoke, after all, he just lost his father. I just hope and pray it doesn't become a life long habit for him. He might just follow his father's painful exit. People use that stairway to smoke so often in this hospital that we have taken to calling it 'The Chimney'.

And the one who wrote in with displeasure regarding sponsored trips? Turns out she/he (now I am no longer sure of the gender.... it's hard to tell on cyberspace) is working in a pharmaceutical company!! She said she was playing the devil's advocate. Fair enough but it is rather disconcerting to realise that while these reps may be offering us, lowly MOs, a sponsorship, deep within they may actually disrespect us for accepting it! (read her response in the comment page). Ouch! Now that's not very nice is it? yes, people wear so many masks.

It's been a long day today. Depressing to say the least. The haze is back. No need for alerts (read the front page of The Star). It is BACK! One look outside the window confirms it. Soon fingers will be pointed at our neighbouring country. Denials will abound and resolves will be taken that next year things will be better. Same old story, same old cycle. Nothing changes. Before long my ward will be full with wheezing coughing breathless patients. Sigh.....