Page 27 - NAMAH-Oct-2024

Namah The (Missing) Human Touch

and reinforcing each other. While the world the ability to apply the knowledge rightly
of modern medicine is focused almost and wisely, experience, an intuitive sense
exclusively on medication and methods, the that senses the problem, capacity to
human factors involved in healing are almost inspire faith, inject hope, instil courage and
completely ignored in medical training as compassion that act to bring in forces
well as in any discourse on health. Their of a higher order into play. Finally, the
importance is further undermined with the factors operating in the caregivers, especially
introduction of machines and especially the nursing staff include genuine care,
the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence. sympathy and empathy, kindliness, mercy
However, the truth of things always stands and a positive attitude that not only does
and returns, asserting itself and showing the not give up, but is full of hope. The nursing
inadequacy and limitation of thought, when staff are not only caregivers but strength
it advances linearly in one direction. So, we givers, hope givers, faith givers, drawing
see now a dissatisfied section of humanity by their presence helpful divine Forces in
returning back to what was left behind in our the patient’s atmosphere, looking beyond
haste. It is the human dimension of health the dark appearance and suffering towards
and healing. a beautiful future.

Need for a course correction

How are we going to incorporate these subtle
psychological elements into the curriculum?
These human elements, which should spring
naturally from the depths of the human
heart are sadly missing, at least in the large
majority of human beings, especially now in
our time. Medicine is no longer a profession
moved by some high and noble impulse to
The missing element relieve suffering. It has become yet another
means to make money. It has been afflicted
The human dimension missing so far in our by the modern disease called ‘utilitarianism’.
medical discourse is the triad of patient, And even where there is some apparent
physician and the caregivers. The patient seeking for knowledge, it is largely limited
factors that influence healing are faith, fear, to the usual discussions on the biological
will-to-live, physical and psychological side of man and the patho-pharmacology of
constitution, attitude towards the illness, drugs and diseases. There is almost nil space
psychological and spiritual atmosphere at on the psychological and spiritual side for
home and in the hospital, belief-systems health and healing. There is no scope for any
that strongly influence him, goals that he is value education or ethics beyond the basic
looking forward to or their absence. So too, manners or the Hippocratic oath which has
the physician factors include, apart from become more a hypocrite’s oath. No wonder,
the technical knowledge that is necessary, doctors and nurses who were once regarded

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