Indexing Title: RDELEON’s Medical Anecdotal Report [04-3]

MAR Title: Humility is a virtue

Date of Medical Observation: February 2004

Narration:

             On one of my duties at the OPD last February, I met a patient AA 65/F.  The patient underwent the usually process of getting a number, waiting until that number was called at the OPD Triage, waiting again for her to be called for the proper consult at the Surgery OPD Clinic.  She consulted due to  an anal mass of  5 year duration with a recent episode of fresh blood on defecation. On examination, she was diagnosed to have Mixed Hemorrhoids and was advised to undergo operation.  She was subsequently scheduled and advised to come back for admission. I admitted her at the OPD.

            On her scheduled admission, I was the one manning the OPD.  As I was admitting her, I found out that she is a Baranggay Chairwoman in Sampaloc Manila.  I was surprise for she didn’t went directly to the Director’s office (which was the usually thing that any baranggay officials do when seeking consult at OMMC) but instead she waited patiently at the OPD and undergoing the process of OPD consult.  I was surprised and asked her why  she didn’t told me that she was a Baranggay Officer and why she didn’t go to the Director’s office.  She told me that there’s no need for her to go to the Director’s Office and that its not difficult to wait at the OPD for she believes that the service is fast and that there was no need for her to rush it.  She asked me if I will be the one to operate on her and I told her that I will be happy to do so. I admitted her at the infirmary ward Baranggay Chairman’s Room and informed the infirmary nurse of her admission.

            I was glad to hear  that from her and happy at the same time because even if I didn’t knew she was a Baranggay Chairwoman, I was able to give her the service that she was expecting and the service that any Official in the City of Manila want and demand for.

            The patient underwent the operation with no complication and was discharged improved.  Up until now, this patient constanly look for me when she comes to OMMC and never failed to give me a token of appreciation.

Insights (Discovery, Stimulus, REINFORCEMENT):

             As physician, we must be humble to all our patients.  That we should render service to the best of our ability and knowledge for we will never know that the next patient we will encounter holds an important position in our society that might greatly affect our lives.

             As a citizen in our society, we must know how to be humble so that people around us will respect us and treat us what is due to us.