It’s 1:32 am and I am just back from DY Patil with my 89-year-old father who lives with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s.
For 2 years my octogenarian parents have been treated by a very caring and extremely professional Geriatric Department for whom senior citizens are an evident priority. This is seen in the detail with which they investigate each case, the time they are willing to "waste" with the sometimes disoriented elders and their lack of haste in prescribing large expensive doses of drugs or unnecessary tests to patients. This department understands our senior citizens. They understand Alzheimer’s too.
Today I had the experience of encountering another department of DY Patil Hospital namely the general surgery ward. And true to my 5-star experience in this hospital Dr Mahleen was extremely polite and understanding of the challenges of admitting an 89-year-old Alzheimer’s patient into the hospital. Dr Ashay compassionately advised me to consider the charity ward for a day because of Dad’s condition.
The initial doctors on call in the ’charity’ ward reflected the care and professionalism that was on power with any other private. The brothers and sisters (nurses) and Mama’s and Maushies too excelled in their care and exemplary service.
The day ended on a sad discordant note only because of one Dr Hardik Kalda whose apparent egoistic attitude has the potential to match the excellent overall services and image of Dr DY Patil Hospital.
Under his care, the investigative tests began extremely late. His 10 mins wait to give the attendants of an octogenarian Alzheimer’s patient an update ended in a 4 four discharge process. After waiting patiently for 2 hours for his 10 minutes scheduled wait he sent Dr Derrek Mathew to inform me that no tests will be possible the next day because it was Good Friday. (Incidentally, he was seated in an open space just 10 steps away from me)
At this I requested Dr Derrek to consider not putting my 89-year-old dad under an additional and unnecessary day of stress and disorientation and to consider discharging him, with us bringing him back to the general surgery ward say on Saturday.
Apparently, the male doctors in charge seemed like under the spell of this Dr Hardik Kalda. Derrek reminded me that this was the charity ward. ( I wondered if he was suggesting that we should therefore expect cattle class treatment which jarred with my 2-year positive experiences in DY.)
For the 8 hours that my father was kept waiting only a blood test, an ECG and a urine test were done and none of the major test that were prescribed.
I was asked to collect another urine sample. (For those of you who haven’t dealt with people with Alzheimer’s this can be quite an ordeal) After this Dr Vohlam asks me to chuck out the sample and that the hospital would refund the money. What insensitivity!
I kept repeating to all Dr’s on call that my request for a discharge was not because of the poor service of DY Patil but because an extra day for Dad in a hospital ward (whether private or general) was unnecessarily harrowing for Alzheimer’s patients (and in our case a 84 year old wife too who would have to spend a day alone at home unnecessarily)
But reason didn’t seem to penetrate the arrogant proud and egoistic heart of Dr Hardik Kalda and his submissive team of male doctors. I tried in vain to explain to Dr Vohlam (who was updating Dr Hardik ) about my appreciation for the DYP service but my challenges in relation to a dad with Alzheimer’s.
I should insist here that the Geriatric ward does a crash course with the hospital staff on Alzheimer’s.
Dr Vohlam while drafting his ’Discharge Against medical advice’ statement insisted that I could return but not on a Thursday when Dr Kalda’s team is on duty. He insisted that this was Hospital policy!! If so I would request the hospital to review the policy at least for Alzheimer’s patients.
Incidentally, I’m confused why the hospital doctors would insist that I keep a 84 year old Alzheimer’s patient. And medically advice us to insist on his going through stress particularly when Dr Derreck himself stated that no investigation was possible the next day.
The ’ DAMA’ statement I had signed was later tweaked with a cancelation mark across the reason for my seeking temporary discharge. I have a copy of my notes and my statement for the records.
Later the trickle-down effect of Dr Kalda whom Dr Vohlam Shiddarth was consistently reporting to insisted that my disoriented dad sign his discharge papers if not put his thumb impression to it even while he himself witnessed the distress it caused the old man. His ego wouldn’t allow him to stop at one thumb impression. He insisted on 2 thumb impressions. This despite the fact that I had signed the declaration twice and was made to put my thumb impression on it too and twice!!
It was only when Dr Derreck was directed to update me at 9:30 pm with a ’so what do you want to know?’ That he suggested that I go home and bring in Dad’s medicines which were not given to him since the time he was admitted in the afternoon.
Despite all this, I insist on giving DY P Hospital a 5-star rating because I believe Dr Kalda is an exception to the rule.
I am willing to give Dr Hardik Kalda the advantage of it being a long day (and yet signs of his arrogance were evident in the morning too).
I reinstate my faith in the ethics of D Y Patil Hospital that has always underlined care and compassion and has never made charity sound like a dishonor.