Last night at work in Switzerland. Nothing really out of the ordinary: elderly patients, an adult with a drug overdose, young women giving birth, postoperative bleeding…
I wonder how I will perceive patients in Switzerland when I return in two years. After seeing people who have no access to care at all, how will I react to those caught in a cycle that constantly brings them back into the healthcare system? Or those who treat healthcare as if they were in a supermarket?
I hope—and I will try—to remain compassionate toward everyone and their unique individual stories. However, back in Switzerland, I will likely find myself questioning the necessity of certain treatments or procedures. I am deeply thankful for the blessings we have here; I never forget that my son is alive thanks to the care he received in this country.
I am glad to have the opportunity—or rather, to take the opportunity—to go and help those in areas where healthcare is less accessible, or not accessible at all. What will probably irritate me most is seeing people who are unaware of how fortunate they are just to live in a country like this, compared to so many others.
I let you thing about the « moral friction » between the logical brain knowing that a pain is valid within someone’s own experience, and the perspective brain screaming that some « crisis » are a luxury…
I will do my best to « force » myself to remain compassionate toward someone complaining about a minor postoperative scar after having seen people survive life-altering injuries with no follow-up care at all.
It also makes me think a lot, because this subject can be perceived very differently depending on which position you approach it from: patient, relative, or caregiver… and deep down, I always remain a little bit of all three at once!