Dr Kishor M, JSSMC, JSSAHER, Mysur Karnataka
Volume 13 Issues 2 February, 2023
In the peak of CoVID19 pandemic in India, in all hospitals, numerous protocols were enforced. Some glimpses can be seen in many hospitals even today . One of the major aspect of CoVID19 protocol was distance between two individuals and the masks. Many barriers were built to keep the distance and reduce the transmission of infection. One such protocol was in our Outpatient Department, we ensured patients and consultants are few feet apart, there was a big table that separated. One of our patient one day , a lady in her 50s, just pushed it apart as I was warning her and as she approached me! I raised my voice, “why are you breaking protocol when it was done for your and our safety! Smilingly, she said “ Sir, I have brought some sweets, I am a grandmother now , my daughter in Sweden delivered baby just yesterday, how can I give sweets to you from such a distance?”
For a moment, I was dumbfounded, I thought “will we be able to break the protocol to connect with each other beyond illness & health?.
In same pandemic period, one of my colleague was unwell and infected with Covid19. She was admitted in ICU. She called me up from ICU one day and said she was concerned about her daughter (who was physician herself ) and was becoming extremely anxious at home. She enquired if I could see her. At that peak of CoVID19 pandemic, the house of infected people was barricaded and no one would be allowed to contact even the non-infected family members. I just broke the protocol and visited them, to have conversation with anxious daughter. Over the years in the profession, all that matters is “How much of wisdom we have gained, to break or accept the protocols ?”
I will not follow the protocols blindly.