The challenge of the harvest

(On the occasion of the centennial of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center)

Some of us began as that li'l kid who blurted out during family dinners of serving humanity. The others in us, with or without our sanity, took the decision to tread the path our parents, relatives or friends pmight have been taking. And probably some of us are one of those whose entire existence depend on the motivation provided by the constant search to be of use. Indeed, the events that lead one to a career in medicine are as diverse as one could possibly imagine.

The Philippines is an archipelago of more or less 7,000 islands blessed with abundant resources, sumptuous food, awesome landscapes, and resilient people. It, too, is beset with its peculiar basket of problems. For one, a tropical country such as ours is an endemic with infectious diseases typical of the tropics; yet, most of us are afflicted with lifestyle diseases characteristic of affluent nations. The country is a potpourri of resources; yet, our brethren are forced to wallow in their illnesses blaming poverty, inadequacy of healthcare, remoteness, and sometimes, gross ignorance.

These generalities could be deduced with every breathing day one spends in this institution. The realities of Philippine healthcare evoke a gamut of emotions that range from hope, elation, sadness, frustration, and hopefully not, indifference. We meet people who come for help unprepared of what illness struck them. We meet families wanting to do what they can but constrained with what they actually have. We meet people who sometimes take advantage of the misery of others and heroes who rise above the situation. The hospital is also full of stories of lives saved, families healed and dreams realized.

What, therefore, could a medical intern learn from the time they spend here?

First, the institution is a distillate of the outside's realities. The concentration of people seeking healthcare is a fertile ground for learning. This has the downside though of taxing the workforce and straining the institution's resources. It will be of greater benefit, therefore, if those who acquired their trade from this institution make use of their knowledge and skills in providing treatment to those in their proximity. The institution thus has to live up as a training hospital skills are honed and a referral hub where people go to when they can do no further.

Second, quality care does not necessarily equate with costly care. As an institution plagued with limited resources and throngs of patients, doctors prioritize their diagnostics and therapeutics, rationalize their thought processes, and place emphasis on the patient's history and physical examination. In most instances, it is what is needed that is asked for and not what is wanted.

Third, compassion is most sweet when found in adversity. Consider the times you've sacrificed your sleep, meals, and leisure for your patient. Think of the stories you heard from their lips and the experiences they had that you wished you had. You listened. You gave them your ears. You were available. When everything seems hopeless and when you seem to have used up your arsenal, simply being available, is more than enough.

We've all heard of those who've lost the drive among us; and we've also heard of stories of doctors who kept the drive. It seems that one's motivation from the start plays a big role in shaping their futures. We all know that medical internship is one of the most trying stages in any doctor's life. And yet, it is through this rite of passage that durable and dependable instruments of healing are forged.

This institution is one of those workshops from which awesome tools are forged. The future is bright and everyone is out. The people will want of no less and this steadfast institution stands to live up to the challenge of the harvest.