Doctor Who ?

Halloween night got little to much fright for us. As I was stepping out of the house to enjoy a night out with friends, I was told that my grandmother (Naani) fell from the bed and has hurt herself pretty bad. So i take mom and rush to Naani's house. She has hit her hit severely and is losing a lot of blood. So we head to the nearest hospital. Little did i know that , this wasn't going to be any sense of relief. Five worried individuals barge in to the hospital, the security for a second thinks as though the hospital is under attack. He doesn't allow all of us to enter the "doctor's area". I decide to wait in the waiting area. There is something eerie about the waiting room at a hospital. 5 mins down, i see mom rushing to me. Thats when i learn that the doctors have refused to admit the patient. There is another doctor about 15 mins drive away. Hoping he would help, we call him ask to be present at his clinic. I am carefully hitting on the gas since Naani is bundled up at the back of my car. Bombay roads are awful. Bumps on the road hurt her wound. Hospital 2.  After a brief argument with the watchman, who wouldn't allow me to take the car into the complex, we placed Naani on the doctors table. Now entering in and out of hospitals is not as easy as it reads. My grandmother cant walk, so getting her out of my car and in to the wheelchair and back with the blood from her wound oozing out was a very difficult task. Doctor 2 says this wound is deep, for which she has to be stitched. My mom wiping her tears asks the doctor . "what about the anesthetist ? ". The doctors snaps back saying "there is no time for that, i have got no provisions. I'll have to call the anesthetist. we got no time". We all knew we had no time. So the weaklings are sent out. i stay. 3 nurses and I held Naani to the doctors table while he stitches her wound. The blood spurts out like a fountain , stains the wall. Horrifying sight.
After two attempts of sealing the wound, the bleeding won't stop. The doctors looks at me and says . " take her some place else, she has lost a lot of blood. she needs a hospital with a blood bank and she needs an ambulance NOW"
I knew it , everyone knew .. there was no time to call the ambulance. We rushed her back into the car and set out to another hospital.  Most of our ambulances in India have the emergency siren going on and are stuck in hours of traffic. Indian motorists do not give priority to fellow humans needing urgent medical attention. Cruel, i know.

Moving on, that night we stepped into another two hospitals and were refused due to lack of medical history with them or absence of blood transfusion facilities. We started out at 10.30 pm on the night of 31st Oct and admitted Naani at 1.45am on 1st Nov. For three an half hours my Naani bled.. she was writhing in pain, a sight so gruesome.. i sometimes wonder how didn't i not pass out looking at all that blood. The back seat of my car had a big pool of blood.

My only question , why cant Doctors be humans first ? I know the world has given us some brilliant Doctors, who are also brilliant human beings. In no way i am generalizing the lot under the same label. Its just why does a bleeding patient is made to run to 4 different hospitals before being treated ?
I understand there are rules that the hospitals have to follow. i now talk as a patient who is in need of urgent medical help and is denied due to some rule book gathering dust.

Moreover, Bombay is not new to terrorist attacks , train blasts and other havoc. The city has been targeted repeatedly by its perpetrators and my heart goes out to those who suffer for no fault of theirs.  At a time of an attack, our feeble Govt hospitals struggle to provide aid to the injured. Literally , heaps and heaps of bodies are piled up , many of those who succumbed to the injury due to untimely medical aid.  The Govt rushes out with the funds to these hospitals but one cannot do much when every second delay may cost a loss of life. What annoys me the most is, while these Govt hospitals staff run helter skelter. cry out for additional supplies & volunteers , just a stone throw away swanky granite marbled , WI-fi enabled , "pay the moolah to get your cold treated " private hospitals would be shooing flies of the premises.

My point here again, Be Human.. I am not saying lets all wear white sarees and call ourselves Mother Teressa, I am not saying ditch materialistic needs and meditate like Buddha.. No. But when a little we do can help  a life in such a substantial way.. then why not just do it ?
why cannot some white collared doctors help out small time hospitals in a time of crisis ? 

Generation Next is shining bright.
With Doctors like Nethra Rao & Paramedics like Eleanor Pittinger .. I have hope. I know there are plenty of good Samaritans who are also qualified doctors who will not disappoint us, human race.

Reasons not to be a Travel Agent

Taken in best with a tub of popcorn..  !

1. While clients travel and unravel the mysteries of the universe, the travel agent (T.A) is forced to pop blood pressure pills to calm his nerves..
2. When a client holidays, T.A straight away loses the right to holiday.
3. The phone rings at 7.00 am on a sunday , "my flush won't work.. you are the agent.. do something "
4. A client takes a tour from you is equivalent to you are his slave until he gets back home.
5. When Gandhi said when someone slaps you once, offer them the other cheek with a humble smile.. he was talking about travel agents.
6. T.A's are those fools who take up the challenge of promising great service from rowdy drivers/suppliers and more often than not end up being slapped.
7. Natural Calamities are all the travel agents's fault.  I don't know who spread rumors that the travel agents have the control to the richter scale.
8. Client's enjoyment is Travel agents's suffering
9. The phone rings again at 7.13 am."what are you going to do about the malfunctioning flush?"
10. T.A's have to be weather experts, shopping experts, food & wine connoisseurs
11. Master the art of fake smiles.
12. 8 out of 10 clients are ********. And you have to make them feel like Sheikhs of Arabia.
13. The service expected is 1000 times more than the money paid. 
14. T.As have to arrange Prosecco in Rishikesh. *FML*
15. When Obama said, "YES WE CAN".. he was reiterating the motto of T.As