Volume 5 Issue 13 Jan 2015
A friendly Prank!
“Sir, there was a phone call for you from the ward; Ramavtar is not well; he is vomiting since morning”, the OPD sister informed me in a hurried voice. “Oh, is it?” I quickly got up from my chair rushed out of the OPD and started walking towards the ward which was situated in the adjacent building.
I had recently joined the department as a lecturer after passing MD. I felt more responsible and a bit more concerned about patients whom I admitted as lecturer, Ramavtar was one of them. Every day I would ask the resident doctors about his condition and on ward rounds would spend some more time with him. I would personally look into his medicines & ward facilities. Resident doctors would often comment that “Ye to sir ka note-case hai.” Ramavtar gradually improved over a period of few weeks and he and his relatives requested discharge. After confirming his
recovery & psychoeducating relatives for compliance, the discharged was planned.
No wonder, I was very much perplexed and intrigued by the message conveyed by the OPD sister about the ill health of Ramavtar and that too on the day when he was to be discharged. Within no time I reached the ward and hastily walked down to Ramavtar’s bed. All ready to go, with a big smile, sitting on his bed, he wished me and thanked me with folded hands.
Before I could gauge the situation and enquire the ward staff about what had happed to Ramavtar, my eyes were fixed on the date of discharge mentioned on the discharge summary; the 1st day of the fourth month of the year; all fools day.
Dept of Psychiatry, LTMC & Sion Hospital, Mumbai
