Speaking doctors

Its nine pm and the traffic on the way is practically stuck. Its been a long day. Our round started at eight and we were done by ten. Post rounds as I sat in the D2 computer room one of the interns said, " Ma’am can I ask you your name?". "Its Zarka", I replied. "Ma’am, you know you have the perfect pitch of voice and I am sure you can sing well!". Obviously I was smiling cheek to cheek. And then he continued, "Try singing 'kahay satay aaja, piya basanti ray' . You’ll leave Shreya Ghoshal behind!".

Young lady (?? at least at heart), cycle one day 14 of oncological therapy. Was sent home on Friday evening (and again very late), for two days rest at home. Her family however decided to drag her to interior Sindh for that long awaited trip. Eight hours of travel. No joke. Currently readmitted on Monday morning at eight am (as usual), she looks rather disoriented. On exam : Slightly tachycardic as the most important round takes place today. The rest of the systemic exam unremarkable. Labs: Results still pending.  (As this was an elective admission and the nursing staff took her sweet time cannulating her and collecting her samples). Treatment: Depends on how she performs (in the rounds) today. Assessment and Plan : Continue same treatment as she shows some promising signs of improvement in the times to come.

    The new year strikes in fourty minutes. So when we write the date tomorrow, we'd write 2011 and then overwrite the eleven. Looking back, it has been an amazing year. January .   The first month of year three. I still remember how weird we had felt. Me, Ainee, Amber and the rest. The only one with a confident start was Anwar. Nothing can shake him. We were blessed with raw interns (who by the end of the year are shining like diamonds). Admissions, rush calls, leading a team. We sailed through and with Ainee along in private wing, we laughed away. Then there was the resident's appreciation evening. Those sarcastic skits. I read the news (this my continuous second year doing so). 'If I read the news in the next year's resident night you could call me Shaista Zaid then', I had said to  Dr Imran (cardiology). February Cardiology night float. Ecgs and more ecgs. March and April ICU rotation. A different world altogether.We celebrated passing A lines, centr...

  Day one of orientation. A three day event to get the new people oriented to the new system called AKUH. I smile and turn around to see if anyone else listens intently to the sarcasm of the song, but nobody is smiling. All new interns, residents and fellows accumulate in the auditorium. For all important events (and to impress newcomers) a background music is played which is an instrumental mix of popular Pakistani songs. As I enter I hear the following song’s music, “Chalay to cut hi jaay ga safar, aahista, aahista”. I smile and turn around to see if anyone else listens intently to the sarcasm of the song, but nobody is smiling. They all look pleased to be selected in this institute and seem to concentrate on nothing else. It starts officially. The first presenter, with the most interesting voice starts, “Welcome to the AKUH family!”. All that goes in my mind is that I’ve to report at ER front and am getting late. I leave the auditorium and the self praise . I already have th...

May it all be peaceful. 25th December. A day of many an important events. A day a jalsa is planned. Jalsa in the city of lights. A city filled with all ethinicities. A city with Sindhis, Pathans, Balochis, Muhajirs, Panjabis…. They all live together in harmony and the leaders make them lock horns as and when they require. The rich getting richer, the poor poorer. On one end there are those without the basic necessities of life and on the other the other divide living a lavish life. But for how long. Things wont correct on their own or would they. One simple rule. Correct yourself. Be honest. Remind yourself that there is someone  watching. There constantly is. How will we answer. What will we answer. The explanation will be lame. There will be no turning back from then on. What’s done would be done. No replays no undos.   The Jalsa And then when a Jalsa is arranged in the city of lights people like myself get worried. May it all be peaceful. Who wins at the end doesn’t ...

"OK from now on I will" . While in Bournemouth Hajra told me on return that she met an African muslim who asked her if she prayed and when she replied in the affirmative he told her that he liked people who prayed. A few days elapsed. On the way to cafetaria we met this chap again. This time around I was introduced as well. After a few minutes of where you are from and why, he asked me the same question. He later said, "But I pray all my zuhr, asar and maghrib prayers cumulatively on my return home". "But there is a place specially arranged within the chapel for us muslims, why don't you pray there?", I couldn't help but inquire. "But God will be angry if I pray within the chapel", he explained. "But God would be more angry if you miss prayers, and the place has been specially arranged for us, there is no reason why you shouldn't be praying", I went on. To this he replied, "OK from now on I will". A few...