One of the few patient experiences I know I will remember for a long time.
Outpatient departments are meant for understanding patients—their problems, their diseases, their concerns. But over time, I’ve realized something simple yet profound: not every patient needs treatment first… some need to be heard first.
Sometimes, what a patient seeks is not just a prescription, but reassurance. A sense that they are not alone. A belief that their condition—no matter how serious—does not define the end of their story.
I remember a patient who came to us, hesitantly, almost carrying fear more than illness. He had been diagnosed with a malignancy—squamous cell carcinoma—and had been told elsewhere that he would not survive long.
You could see it in his eyes. Not just pain, but hopelessness.
We did what we could. We listened. We understood his situation. We guided him through the process, helped him utilize the resources he already had, and ensured that his treatment could be carried out within what he could afford. He underwent surgery, followed by radiation therapy.
But more than the treatment, what mattered was this: he began to believe that he could fight.
And sometimes, that belief is the first step towards healing.
This is not about judging another professional. We all have difficult days, and medicine is not an easy path. But perhaps, in the midst of protocols and pressure, we must pause and ask ourselves—are we treating the disease alone, or the person who carries it?
I’m not saying every doctor needs to become a psychologist.
But I do believe this—we must not lose the human beneath the white coat.
Because sometimes, a kind word, a moment of patience, or even a gentle smile…
can mean more than we realize.
MBH/PS