The get together of the foster group of friends yesterday, brought us together to feel grateful for the opportunity of having been together, on various occasions during the last ten years!
The picture of Rejit talking to Samuel in the last photo, is a reminder of how it all began. It was Rejit who introduced to Anna and myself the idea of connecting with students and faculty at the MOSC Medical College, when we joined it in September 2012. That is how the staff-student Badminton matches became an annual festive season, organised by the department where I work, for a few years. The coming together of students naturally created a forum to have get togethers, which brought closer contact with some students. Thomas, Rhea, Caren and Anjali spent a month in the department after the final year examination before starting internship. Samuel used his holiday time to get familiar with clinical work in the department. The students came forward to get the Family Resource Centre, Early Learning Centre and the Learning Resource Centre ready by decorating and organising the place.
For Anna and myself, the ten years of association with the students gave us an opportunity to see all of them move on in life, choosing their path and flourishing in what they do.
Although we encouraged the faculty at the college to have small groups attached to them for enabling the formative process in the vocation of practice of medicine, it is yet to become culture of the institution towards student nurture. We feel grateful to Dr Radhakrishnan and Dr Rex, the former Deans of the institution, who encouraged us to pursue this.
Being in touch with students in an informal setting, gave us an introduction to the demands and perspectives that come upon them to shape their choices and directions.
The vocation of service is less evident and not necessarily emphasised in the teaching and practice of medicine! This is a disturbing thought.
A family who came to visit yesterday form Singapore, to discuss about their five years old son, who was struggling in developing his communication skills, told me something that gave me an insight into the contemporary thought in the practice of medicine. The protocol of practice of medicine in existence in some countries, makes a person adhere to the system and fall in line with what is offered as Standard Operating Practice. So this family had to wait for one year to get an appointment with a specialist in Singapore. The Private consultations are prohibitively expensive. A person with a health care need is a 'client'! The system is not flexible enough to sense the needs and accordingly respond! The health care professionals feel comfortable with this approach! At the end of the seventy minute conversation this family said, 'we feel that we can survive till the next visit, as we had this occasion for conversation'. What families need are conversation times, which is often insufficient in a ten minute consultation!
I wonder, whether the students in training in medicine would feel the calling to be conversation companions to patients who seek health care advice!
That is the message we want to leave with our foster group, as we say farewell to them with Anna and me ceasing to be members of the faculty at the college from 30th June 2023!
We shall treasure the happy memories and hope that life would bring abundance of joyful experiences to all the fosters, that we have known during the last ten years!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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