It was a beautiful afternoon.It was drizzling as I walked from my clinic to the bus stop. School bus was late, even from the usual rainy day standards. The bus stop was sheltering everyone who had come to collect their kids, and I listened to the casual chit chat, which turned into serious conversation about the healthcare system in India. I am aware of the “not so good” opinions people hold for hospitals and doctors and tried not to intervene. 

However, I have my own trigger points and ignoring my prudence, I plunged into the discussion trying to put my point across. I know about confirmation bias. I understand it’s unwise to try to change people’s belief, at least not during a bus stand conversation. At that time I thought it was right to give my perspective.

Today evening at my clinic was my second part of “conversations” which I feel is important to bridge the gap between doctors and patients. While doctors read huge amount of literature and research, they find it difficult to convey that huge, complex information to patients in an easy, simplified manner. Medicine is no longer black and white. Treatment is based on difficult decisions, and patients should be a part of that decision making. 

After the afternoon chit chat, I reached clinic with mixed feelings, thinking of scraping this whole “conversations” thing. 

And then Mrs Lilly one of my lovely patients walked in with a keychain for me. This little warmth of kindness melted away the coldness in my heart I was carrying from the afternoon discussion. 

Thanks Ms Lilly and all the kind patients I meet, who make me realise why I am carrying on this “conversations at door-to-care” and why I still love being a doctor.

Kindness is contagious…and so is lack of it! Shouldn’t we be more careful about which one we are spreading?