Death in the DR

Melvin died this evening. He never really had a chance once he broke his neck. It is a difficult situation anywhere, but in a developing country, it is almost a sure death sentence. The first doctor he saw sent him home didn't even recognize it, saying he would be better in the morning.

Then later, when he was taken to the ER and admitted, he lived on for a week. Other strange things went on towards the end. The family was told he was dead, then an hour later that he was still alive, but that he was dying. Imagine going through that.

Usually here people are not informed that a person is dead right away. Instead they are told in stages. First they are injured or sick (even though they have already passed away), then after a while when they get used to the idea, the person is informed of the death. As a result, when someone is only injured or very sick, people assume the worst--that the person may, in fact, be dead. This time they got it backwards.

I still remember my own hospital stay, when the front desk refused to talk to me because I was the patient. They said they would only talk to my relatives. When I informed them I had no relatives present in the DR, they would only talk to my friends! Both patients and relatives are often not allowed to know the full extent of the patient's condition. Sometimes one relative is let in on the secret, but makes the decision not to inform the others.