Rediscovering Eden
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am Yours
dailies
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Proud to be a doc? Maybe not.
-3:44 PM
Excuse me while I vent.Dear Friends,This little baby's case has been verified and is genuine. I am appealing for funds to help defray the $60K for Tory's heart operation. Tory's parents total monthly income only amounts to S$1,500, his father is an odd job labourer and his mother a factory worker.My close friend Dorcas went to visit Tory and his parents last night at KK Hospital to verify and to find out more about Tory's condition. She questioned the doctor on duty why wouldn't the hospital lower the costs. Were they willing to let a poor little baby die because his parents could not afford his operation? The doctor went silent for awhile and then said I'm Sorry' before he walked away. Tory's Uncle, who sent the earlier email (attached below), had also written to a local Chinese newspaper to request to have their story published in the newspapers and to appeal for funds. So far they have only managed to raise S$5,000. Please help little Tory, any amount would be greatly appreciated! Do contact me at 9009 9630 if you wish to contribute. We can also arrange for you to meet little Tory and his parents in KK Hospital if you want to. Please help send this on to your friends or family who may also be interested to contribute. Thank you all in advance for your kind generousity! God Bless,Susan Greenstreet
Name: Tory Tan
D.O.B: 17 April 2006
Condition: Require medical operation immediately. Currently warded atKK Hospital Level 2, ICU Bed 15.
Contact Person: Mr Ong (Tory's Uncle)
Contact HP: 90453129
Thanks & regards,Susan
Troy Tan was born with a hole in the heart. He is currently depending on medical equipment to breathe. He requires medical operation as soon asnpossible to survive. The medical fee for this operation requires at least S$60K and his parents have used up all their savings on his medical fee. In order to overcome Tory Tan's critical condition, we would like to raise funds for this medical fees and operation. Please help kindly help the baby. Your good deeds will be greatly appreciated. We thank you very much. We can also arrange for you to meet the baby if you want to.
Hi ladies and gentlemen, I have verified and it's a genuine case. I even rang the hospital to check. It is all true. Somehow I cannot forget this baby's face. He looks so sad. Really pulled at me heartstrings. :(Rgds Dorcas
The above is extracted from an email Daniel sent to me and i could feel my blood boil as i read on. I was so very pissed man.At first, I had thought whether the mail was just mail that was not true. But I highly doubt that its fake, since it says that the story was published in the Chinese papers and someone had called the hospital to verify the incident. In any case, even if this is fake, I have my own example and story to give, so there! I had always wanted to work in a hospital as a doc cos to me, its a call and duty to save lives. I had wanted and had always respected govt-based hospitals cos i thought it was great of them, to provide lower, more affordable rates while providing adequate health-care to people who cannot afford more. I had always thought that docs and medical institution would put lives first, ahead of money even if the family could not afford it. Isnt that what medicine is for? Isnt that the call of a doctor, under the thing that docs have to swear under when they enter the profession? Moreover, isnt it that one of the reasons medical social workers exist is to help these poorer families ? That was my impression and perhaps it is way too idealistic. Probably exist only in utopia.
Some time in Feb/Mar 2006, my dad had called up a govt-based medical institution once(not saying which one) cos Stephen had said that it was within our rights to do so and the institution would do this-and-that. BUT, my dad got rejected umpteen times althought the case was URGENT. The receptionist/administrator gave a hundred and one reasons and we had to use doc friends and our own profession to get our way through, but not before making a dozen phonecalls and getting pissed off. Stephen had to help and use his connections too. He too got irritated and wrote in, i think. I mean, I know that they wanted to make sure that its not a prank call, but surely when we made so many calls, with even a already-practising doc speaking for us, they should know that its not a joke? We finally got through coz of connections but what about people without the connections? It seems that rules have been made and fixed just for show coz in reality, things do not work that way, at least not in this case. In any case, if people got tired of the protocol procedures and do not persist, well, things could escalate. Finally, when everything went thru, it seems that the specialist was more interested in the money than anything else. He wouldn budge when we just wanted the prescription and get the medicine ourselves. He wanted us to buy the medicine from him.In anycase, we din use him and thank God everything came out fine.
Reading this mail now makes me feel so naive cos i had been so simple-minded as to think that govt institutions would go all out for the people, regardless of monetary issuee. And to think I wanted to be part of the medical world, not that i am not. But, i think its such a facade that in the essays we write and the interview we go through when applying for medical school, we talk so much about humanity but yet at the end of the day, we ourselves either get sucked into the lousy system of the world or are bounded by the red-tapes of the institution, restricted by silent but firm underlying norms of society.
KK-the place i was born in and i thought how nice it was that there is a hospital to cater for the women and the children. The situation now is not as if its a patient whos terminally ill and there is no other medicine currently available to help. Its a new-born babe and we are denying it of a chance at survival when we have means to save it, all for the sake of money!!Dont we have conscience or moral values that interviewers/teachers/anyone loves to talk about or challenge us as students about? Is it just empty talk or just mere information to help us pass GP? In anycase, dont the hospitals have money or equipment necessary? What about the money the govt gives them which in any case comes from us, the tax-payers?!
Indignant and Disillusioned.
