The doctor is out...

This morning I went to the doctor’s office.
As I entered, the assistant informed me that the doctor was not in.
He was called out to an emergency.
He would be back soon, but would be running behind schedule.
I was told there were 3 people waiting before me.
My response: “no problem”.

As I sat there it was interesting to hear other responses.
One lady looked at it from the view point of being the one in urgent need.
And said she would be thankful too if the doctor would attend to her right away.
Another lady was in a hurry and could not wait.
She would make a new appointment.
Someone else grumbled a bit before sitting down.

My thoughts drifted to Sierra Leone.
There, people are thrilled if they can get to a doctor’s office.
In Holland we take easy access to medical care for granted.
Everyone has a family practitioner they can go to.
It’s only a matter of calling up and making an appointment.
And even today, with the ‘extra long wait’ I was only there for an hour total.

If only people knew what it was like in Sierra Leone.
A country with 168 physicians for a population of 6 million.
Compared to Holland with 60,519 physicians for a population of 16 million.
Fathers and mothers lined up in front of clinic gates by 5 in the morning.
Waiting rooms full by 8 am with 50+ children sitting around till late in the day.
Families who get sent away without help due to lack of resources/staff.

As I sat there thinking, I realized how privileged I am.
And hoped that others too, would realize how fortunate they are.
Fortunate to have access to health care, education, water, and so much more.
It’s true, we cannot choose where we are born; in wealth or poverty.
But we can choose how we live in this world.
Let us choose to be satisfied and reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves.