A Visit to a Hospital

A hospital is not much of a place worth-visiting. But sometimes circumstances force us to do so. It so happened with me last week. One of my friends had been admitted there. He had been suffering from some infection. The private doctors could not treat him properly.

As I reached the hospital, I found a great rush of visitors whose relatives had been admitted there for one or the other ailment. Every ward was overcrowded. Private rooms were all occupied. My friend was in the general ward, which was badly congested.

Fortunately, I found that my friend had almost recovered and would be discharged in a day or two. He was now allowed to take all kinds of food. He was all praise for the doctors, nurses and ward boys for their conscientious and amiable treatment. He told me that even the duty of the para-medical staff was very hard. They had to stand on their toes to look after the patients.

I came to know that the condition of some patients was critical. Inspite of the best efforts of the doctors, their condition was deteriorating. Either their diseases were too well-trenched and they had reached the hospital too late or they were too old to stand even the best treatment. Vital organs of some of them had been partially or completely destroyed. Soon one of the patients expired. There were heart-rending cries from the relatives. The doctors and the nurses who had been rushing to and fro, now were motionless and looked morose.

Soon a loud noise was heard outside. The passengers who had received serious injuries in a road accident had arrived in the Emergency ward. Two of the patients breathed their last immediately on reaching the hospital. There were ten others who were in a critical condition. They needed blood promptly. Some volunteers came forward. I also donated blood for them. I had been feeling very sad. But, I felt somewhat relieved on this small good act. Although Thomas Hardy has called life: "A dim vast vale of tears," yet we can mitigate this misery to some extent through small sacrifices and selfless good deeds. I returned home in a contemplative but satisfied mood.