AT THE HORIZON OF LIFE & DEATH IBD

Sinopsis

áááááááá The book is based on narratives based on the life timeá journey of the protagonist,á Dr Anand, who since his teenage, was intrigued by the âÇÖmystery surrounding deathâÇÖ,á the existence of spirits and souls and was shocked to know the 4000 years old cruelá HammurabiâÇÖs code of medical regulation.áááááááá The stories span from his initial days in ER (emergency room), when faced with patients near death overcoming his fears, andáchronicleáhis struggle in complex medicolegal scenarios over the next four decades.áááááááááá Every day, Anand would witness patients sinking in front of his eyes. As a doctor true to his profession, he used to experience the divine exhilaration whenever he pulled his patients out from jaws of death. He worked amid weeping patients, heart wrenching cries of children, wailing mothers and silently sobbing fathers, all of them in the saddestámode of their lives. Patients, who look dead at one point, regain consciousness,áopen their eyes and communicate with their near and dear ones. A sense of gratitude and appreciationáby patients provided enough reason for going on with the physical and mental rigors of the work.áááááááá This book is borne out of the sensitivities involved while dealing with patients facing death.áááááááááááá It comprises of stories that capture the pivotal moments in the treatment trajectory of the critical patients. It talks about the times that force the doctor to confront the saddest moments while battling a terrifying foe, the death monster alongside familiesâÇÖ fear, gloom, indecisiveness and dilemmas about future, and saviourâÇÖs own predicaments intertwined with medico-legal intricacies and consequent complex emotional interactions.ááááááááá The situations depict âÇÖthe real issuesâÇÖ through âÇÖfictional narrativeâÇÖ.ááááááááááá Diseases unmask the human fragility and hence the vulnerability that is intrinsic to the work of doctors. This vulnerability is exploited by many for their benefit - by âÇÖmedia and celebritiesâÇÖ to sell their news and shows, by âÇÖlaw industryâÇÖ andáâÇÖindustryâÇÖs middlemenâÇÖ to extract money. ááááááááááááááááá The stories describe the unfortunate consequences- demoralization, expensive medical education, suicide by doctors, nursesâÇÖ plight, assaults and medico-legal torment of health care workers in the present era. Needless to say, the law industry benefits enormously at the cost of medical profession.áá But is this what the patients actually need?á Would the entanglement of doctors in such a maze help the patients in real sense? No reward, if you win the match of life and death but a sword hanging if one were to lose? The patient will need to decide eventually, whether to be a consumer or remain a patient.áááááááááááááááááááá Being consumers may be a loss-making deal for the patients.