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Being hopeless....

Three months back when my mom was visiting me, she experience heart palpitations for two consecutive nights. Worried I called my cardiologist friend who asked us to visit him in the government hospital on that day as it was a non-OPD (out patients day) duty for him. Apparently non-OPD days are less crowded. As we sat waiting, we saw many worried parents bringing their just born babies to treat serious heart problems. What struck me were the faces of these parents - a feeling of hopelessness. This was their last hope to treat their infants in a state-run hospital as they don't  have money to take them elsewhere.

Fortunately, the staff at this government hospital were treating patients sympathetically. I hoped the patients would have got the best of treatment available. In comparison, patients were treated as cattle herds at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India's premier hospital. To get an cardio OPD appointment, you will have stand in the line from 5 PM the previous day. And at 4 AM, a token is given. Thereafter, if they are lucky to get inside, they will wait anywhere between one to three hours to see the specialists. Again you will see a sea of faces with hopelessness written all over them.

Recently I was listening to a TV interview of the mother of the Delhi gang rape victim. She was narrating how hopeless she felt when she knew her daughter wouldn't survive and she as her mother can't do anything about it. For a moment, I put myself in her position and shuddered at the thought of it.

I am sure there are people everywhere who face hopeless situations with lack of money and other things, and I really hope and pray that come out of that situation as fast as they can. And no one should ever be in a helpless and hopeless situation. More importantly, can we seek to identify at least people around us who are going through such situations and help them.

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