Health is wealth. Disease, injury or an accident of any kind changes the life of a person instantly. Removed from the comforts of routine living, the tag of patient gets added, as if a new surname. Patient – the fresh label becomes more or less an identity. In this uninvited journey of disease and discomfort, one does not struggle alone. Fighting a parallel battle, the suffering of the attendant usually remains untold.
The attendant accompanies the patient like an attachment. Tied to the patient’s suffering, the attendant as a solitary soldier has to battle many odds. Clueless at the beginning, the attendant wanders like a medical nomad.
The first timers, find it extremely difficult to look for guidance about the referred location. And eventually the expertise later turns them into a veteran guide.
The fumbles and the frustration are quite but natural. The twin trouble – one, the pain of the patient and second, the personal inconveniences while attending, are at times too hard to bear . For the attendant, a totally different world unfolds.
The prescription of the patient is a compass for the attendant to navigate his way through congested hospital waiting halls, clinics, diagnostic labs and medical shops. Add to this, the attendant as a spokesperson has to continuously narrate the medical history of the patient to one and all.
The compulsion of repeatedly briefing about the patient’s illness becomes a burdensome affair. Agitated and agonized, the attendant handles multiple inconveniences to assist the patient.
The attendant is at the beck and call of the doctors and paramedics. As an active recipient of instructions and directions, the attendant at times forgets his own existence. Self care hibernates for the time-being.
Attendant is a lonesome warrior. In the challenging circumstances, the attendant performs an obligatory duty with a heavy heart. And during the course of this duty he confronts many types of people. Sometimes the pain of other patients reduces the heavy load of his pent up feelings.
The desperation to meet out the imperative directions for the well being and care of the patient is a given. Hopping from hospitals to testing labs and from clinics to medical shops – the attendant silently bears all hardships.
Wait becomes a routine for the attendant. At clinics, the attendant has to wait. For sample collection he has to wait. For the results, he has to wait. For the findings, he has to wait.
For diagnosis, prescription and for recovery – the attendant has to wait. From hours and months, the stretch of wait sometimes extends to years. As a bruised soul, the sobs and sighs of the attendant remain deeply buried in silence.
Pressed repeatedly like a button, the attendant is reduced to a lifeless robot. Following instructions and advices right, left and centre the attendant remains obedient. Do this and do that. Get this and get that. Go here and go there…and the cascade of commands. And in this entire whirlpool of worries, the attendant becomes invisible and inconsiderate.
How is the patient doing? Obviously, this question takes is a round the clock affair. But how is the attendant feeling? This is no one’s concern. Sometimes the nerves of attendant are tested beyond the limits. But he observes restraint and remains calm and composed to ward off any silly provocation. At many occasions, rude attitude and casual response leaves the attendant frustrated.
The attendant exists. He is a human being accompanying a fellow human being who is in need of assistance. A mere word of kindness, a smile, a pat on the shoulder and a touch of empathy is all what an attendant expects. Doctors have to be compassionate and accommodative.
Paramedics have to be patient. Relatives have to be sensible. The attendant keeps on paying the bills from counter to counter. That adds salt to the wounds of a desperately struggling attendant.
It is our duty to recognize the services of the attendant. It takes time, courage, patience and sacrifice to perform the virtuous act of attending a patient. Attendants truly deserve admiration and respect. Let us salute every attendant for his devotion, duty and for their valiant act of altruism.
Bilal Kaloo, Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education, North Campus, University of Kashmir.