Could a physician be capable of promoting genocide? I'm sorry to write yet another piece associating Rwanda uni-dimensionally with the events of 1994. But after a month in the hospital here, I realize that avoidance of the topic is equivalent to writing a biography on an amputee, and pretending ... Read More about Physician-assisted Genocide
Going Global
Kigali Marathon: Brave or Brazen?
There’s something important in life about doing something that was never on your radar, or, better yet -–frankly-– scares the shit out of you. For many rural Rwandan patients–- I think it scares the shit out of them to journey to a district hospital. The hospital is where people go to die. What ... Read More about Kigali Marathon: Brave or Brazen?
Haiti: “pa fe bruit”
In Creole, it means “don’t make noise.” It was posted outside of our sleeping quarters in an attempt to facilitate better sleep hygiene. Personally, I took it as a joke: roosters, random farm animals, Haitian holiday partyers, gunshot firers – I don’t think they were made aware of this ... Read More about Haiti: “pa fe bruit”
Certified Dead
Today I filled in the death certificate of another physician. I can't decide whether I feel honoured, or horrified, or... both. Honoured to have provided medical care to another doctor; horrified to be the one that has the "final" word. Certifying a colleague dead somehow more chilling than the ... Read More about Certified Dead
Mumbai: “Ma’am, give me your water.”
I've been accosted for all manner of personal items on my travels. Life as a foreigner in most developing countries necessarily involves both subtle & fierce attempts on the part of locals to redress global disparity through small-scale wealth transferrence from you --> them. But today was ... Read More about Mumbai: “Ma’am, give me your water.”
Kolkata: newfound fan of fame
"Lindsay Lohan never ceases to be out of the news" -- first sentence of the Calcutta Times, Wednesday. The buzz: she's dating a Bengali fashion photographer. The photo: her breasts, scantily clad with black lace. Pardon me? I thought this was Mother Teresa territory, the iconoclastic birthplace of ... Read More about Kolkata: newfound fan of fame