Giving Thanks in Medicine
Thankfulness can extend into our practice of medicine.
It’s Thanksgiving week! For most years of my professional career, the week has been shuttered by the pressure of patient care and administrative duties. This year, I have the gift of a little more margin. I want to take a moment and publicly express gratitude for God’s blessings of all kinds:
Everything that is my Christian faith
Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing
The love and friendship of those closest and dearest to me
And healthcare in America. Really.
We spend most of our attention on the failures – what we need to reform, what needs to change, and the corruption and entanglements of our system. My list below doesn’t negate the issues in the US, and it’s not meant to diminish the injustices and struggles people face here. But when you have worked abroad, you understand at a whole new level how blessed we are to give and receive healthcare in America. I spent a few moments reading my journal entries and reflecting on my brief time serving in developing countries in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa. The realities I experienced have not faded. I’ve seen broken systems struggling and failing patients at the worst levels. I’ve watched healthcare professionals doing their best in austere environments, and enduring the emotional and physical toll. It nearly brings me to tears thinking about what I have to be thankful for.
I’m thankful:
To have the privilege of a solid medical education to become a competent doctor. I think about an organization we’ve worked alongside for years that is providing incredible training to doctors to serve whole countries because there is no one else.
A safe place to work. There are no missiles being fired near my hospital or bombs being dropped. The security guards at work aren’t there to prevent me from being kidnapped.
Checks and balances in administrative systems. I’m not being extorted or bribed. I once traveled to a village to provide much-needed prenatal care. We were turned away because we declined to pay off the local health authority officials.
To be remunerated well. I’ve seen healthcare workers serving faithfully despite being paid very little or without knowing if they will be paid at all.
Tools to do the work like x-rays, labs, computers, a functioning internet, and reliable electricity 99.9% of the time. I’ve been in places where such tools don’t exist, outages are a regular occurrence, and you need to be ready with your flashlight to complete a surgery if the power goes out.
Access to medicines. I’ve been in hospitals where patients endure horrible, painful injuries with nothing available more than paracetamol or ibuprofen (if they’re lucky to have that), and they are thankful for any relief of suffering and care.
Access to trained healthcare professionals when I’ve needed care. I’ve helicoptered into remote villages where it is non-existent.
Access to life-saving equipment. I’ve worked in a hospital where family members must take turns bag-breathing for their family members because of the scarcity of ventilators.
Access to clean supplies. I’ve worked in a hospital where they wash and dry their latex gloves to conserve their supplies. And how could any of us forget using and reusing masks during the pandemic?
Access to ambulances who can transport patients reliably. I once took care of a newborn that later died in transit to a tertiary center because they ran out of oxygen in the van.
Access to endless clean water. I’ve showered in the cold of a jungle waterfall and enjoyed a few brief moments of precious hot water at the mission compound. After coming home from the grime, sweat, and blood of a day at the hospital, you just want to clean off.
And I can think of more. There is so much to be thankful for. It’s good to be reminded.
