jan 6, 2009

after a night of broken rest with fears that i would not wake in time for a 'code red' call and would remain in the doctor on call room, sleeping while a rocket falls on our hospital, Baruch Hashem, the night passed without incident of rocket fire upon us
but through a night of fighting, a tank unit shot upon an empty building where our soldiers were taking cover and caused 3 deaths and multiple injured soldiers from friendly fire
none of the seriously wounded came to us
6am i get a call from the nurse that a gazan muslim woman whose son is hospitalized in the pediatric unit has just shown up with ruptured membranes in her 9th month
i examined her with an ultrasound with showed that the situation is not imminent for delivery in the coming hours and suggested she be transferred to a hospital out of firing range
since we only have space for 2 laboring women in the bomb shelter, the current instructions have been to transfer any nonimminent delivery or nonserious condition to a safer area
to protect the patient and staff from being in a situation where one is unable to get quickly to a bomb shelter
just being in the bathroom undressed and hearing a 'code red' call, teached anyone just how short a time span 15 seconds is and that is much simpler than someone with an IV and monitors and undressed and in pain rising up quickly and running down the hall bleeding and dripping amniotic fluid
so the patient refused to leave the hospital where her son is and we dont want to be in a position to force anyone out especially in this situation
despite the fact that people here unneccessarily uses up our limited resources, and endangers themselves and our staff
we dont want the bad publicity that would arise
it is always seen this way
we are doing what is best for them and us
and the world says we could have, should have, and would have done more, if... but it is so not true, and oddly just the opposite
and as we will now deliver her in the coming days
in our bomb shelter
we do so and we should and must do
without praise, and likely with disdain, from the world view
and yet we are protecting her from bombs and rockets sent from her people, her neighbors, and possibly her family
may G-d continue to bless us for safety and good health

dr g