Hope C.

Rambuyon

Verbatim # 1
Patient Initials/ Pseudonymn: Little Baby [LB]
Place of Visit: SUMC Pediatric Ward room 422
Date of Visit: June 30, 2014
Time of Visit/ Length of visit: 9:30 / 30 minutes
Learning issues: I am presenting this verbatim report because of the experience that I met during my
visit to LB. That experience gave me the impression that there are professionals [in this case medical
profession] who relate their patients as object to be cured, not someone capable of relating in their
condition. I was not expecting that it was the behavior that I will encounter from a highly respected
profession. In this presentation I expect the group to help me discover why I took that experience
negatively and I would like from this presentation to learn more about the dynamics of the other
professions.
The Data:
LG was a 6 years old baby girl who was admitted because of pneumonia. According to her mother they
were from La Libertad, Negros Oriental and that LG attends kindergarten school owned by the late
North Negros Conference chairperson, Dr. Bertoldo Burlasa. Her mother is elementary school teacher
in the mountains of the municipality where they live. His husband is a policeman of the municipality.
But during my visit the mother was alone. The mothers name is Teresa, 36 years old. LG is the third
child. The first one died of miscarriage.
When I entered the room there were five patients admitted there. I went directly to the bed of LG
without any knowledge of her background. I did not drop by at the nurses station intentionally because
I like to discover myself the patients basic state. When I entered I feel not so at-ease because of the
thought that I might experience a casual encounter. I want heavy encounter. Yes, the room was bright,
the ceiling fan was on [that I really hated, electric fan air is my enemy], with the mother and mothers
lady friend. They were talking when I came.
Verbatim Data:
HR: entered the room. Said hello, good morning [addressing it to the sitting baby girl patient and to her
mother and to the friend of her mother,] and I introduced myself to them. I am Pastor Hope. One of the
chaplains on duty here at SUMC today.
Mother: Mayong buntag, sir. [Good morning, sir.]
HR: Why is little girl here?
Mother: She has a pneumonia. This is the third day and the doctor said she might be discharge today.
HR: Aw, very good. That means she is healed from pneumonia and can play again with her friends.
Mother: Yes, pastor. She has been absent from her class for three days already.
HR: What grade is she in now?
Mother: She is K2 now [kindergarten 2]. She is six year old already sir. By the way, how will I address
you?
HR: You can call me Pastor or Chaplain. We visit the sick to provide them with prayers if they wish to
and we come also to listen to your stories during your stay here.
Mother: Nice. Do you have priests here?
HR: There is none but we can request if you will request us.
[Then I talk to the child]: You missed already your friends in school?
LG: Nodded her head.
HR: Where do you study by the way? Whats the name of your school?
Mother: She is studying in our area in San Jose, La Libertad.
HR: The school in the highway?
Mother: No that is a private pre-school owned by our friend the late Dr. Bertoldo Burlasa.
HR: Yes, I know that place. I regularly passed by there. Dr. Burlasa was also my friend since he was
officer of our church. By the way, are you alone watching your child? How are you now watching for
how many days already?
Mother: Tired already. Especially during the first two days of her confinement because she always
cried. I always go to Jolibee because she likes to eat chicken. My husband cannot come here because
he is always on duty as policeman in our municipality.
Then at that moment her childs doctor came in.
HR: Hi doc, good morning. [no response] Then I observed her as she inspected the condition of the
child. Inquired about the medicines she took, ordered the mother to disallow the child to eat chocolate
because its not good for her condition. When she conversed her voice was hardly heard. She has very
little voice; a bit inaudible. When she conversed she seems she is not connected with her patient and
seem doesnt care those talking objects around here. No energy. I can only see that she is just
performing her duty. After asking question she gave very little instructions then went out. During that
maybe five minutes of inspection another doctor came in. She was the doctor of the other child. A
very woman doctor. Her smile is not corrupted. She gave it all. She talked as if the patient is her long
time friend and their conversations were jovial. After talking with the child. She gave the high five and
said, when I come back I want you to go home then. Went to other patient in the same room and do
the same jovial mood to her patient. Talked with the patient and when going out gave high five to her
patient. Compared to the doctor I mentioned first they are very different. The first one as I observed
was like treating her patient as object to be attended to while the other is treating her patient as her
patient who need not only medicine but care. Since I was no longer conversing with the mother and LG
because their doctor was still there, I ask my permission to go out. Then left the room and went to the
chapel with Bay Efren and had our conversation.
Reflection/Evaluation:
It is sad to note that this verbatim center my criticism to the doctor. I didnt find anything heavy
to share about the condition of the patient and her mother. They were not bothered with the condition
of the child because I think they believed that she is taken cared well in the hospital. There was no
sharing about God, sharing about faith, sharing of lifes situation, lifes suffering, etc. I find the behavior
of the doctor troubling. At first it seems she did not see me. I receive no response from my greetings
and she only gave very casual attention to the child. If I remember right I did not even see her touch LG.
I was at the edge of her bed and the doctor is standing in front of her. Maybe our distance with the
doctor is three feet. On the other hand the other doctor was very alive. Her behavior is contagious. It
can make you alive. While the doctor of LG child dead. By the way, she is a wife of a doctor coming
from a UCCP family. Her husbands father has the same profession as mine only with post graduate
studies. His son is a doctor also, fellow CYF in our college days.
Before, I envy of the profession because they have a lot of money. During my wifes first
pregnancy when we visit her doctor we pay three hundred pesos per consultation. And in every visit
there were up to 20 t0 25 patients accommodated for a day. Multiply that with 300 pesos, thats a lot of
money per day. As I old, I found the profession greedy. I dont know why they ask very high
consultation fee and even professional fee to their patients making our hospitalization very expensive
when in fact they are not the one who heals the patient but God. They are just made instruments for
healing. Other professions are made instruments in their own way but do not ask very high fee for their
services. The doctors only give very little time to their patients. They even connive with pharmaceutical
companies in order to have extra income, sometimes free trip abroad, free board and lodging to five
stars hotel during post-medical studies. As I age, I find the profession a capital for economic growth, not
a vocation to help people. Once, when I had a consultation here for my hypertension the doctor
received a call from a patient. I dont know what the patient was asking to the doctor but I heard the
doctor said, Sir, your ultra sound result reveals that you have cancer. A doctor telling his patient over
the phone that he has cancer! That sound very unprofessional to me. Again that doctor is a well-known
pastor son. Dont ask me who because you know. I dont envy them now. I feel pity for them because
they are greedy. They see in their patient as someone they can get money but not someone they can
care.
Doctors should be encouraged to take spiritual care units in their medical school or post
doctoral studies. I see them as somebody who do not really care for the soul. They only care for the
healing and be comfortable, be proud of what they have done because that means a endorsement for
others to be consulted to him/her. I dont know if all doctors have the same attitude toward their
profession. Maybe there are some who are different, those who stay in the municipalities or in the
barrios and serve those who cannot afford for health care.
In the synoptic Gospels, Jesus in his healing power did not ask for payment but appreciate the
faith of the people he healed. He didnt even tell his patients to announce to the people of what he
had done. He wanted to keep it secret.
The doctors appreciate people mainly because they can pay high prices of medical care. I
become suspicious if these doctors are humanitarian or humanist. They give premium to their
profession. They treat their profession as very high quality.
Back to the doctor that I mentioned above, maybe she is bearing something that bothered her
that day hence that behavior. Hopefully, it was not her nature. Hopefully she has her monthly period or
lovers quarrel or family problem. Mind you, she was once the pediatrician of our eldest daughter
before. We were worried with her findings because she said our daughter might have leukemia! My
God, I dont like to mention it. With my daily praying of Psalm 23 everything is well. I will not stop
uttering it daily.