Who will Guard the Guardian : A tribute to Late Dr Asma Nazeer

I Have Fought A Good Fight , I have Run My           Race, I Remained Faithful ( 2 Timothy 4:7) 

Still feels like yesterday, when our Prof walked in the male ward and introduced a new faculty member. All I remember, I saw a smiling face with shining eyes and a personality so strong that all the residents were quite in awe. When they left I asked fellow resident “Who is the new faculty member? “  “That’s Dr Asma Nazeer “ That was my first introduction to the person who shaped my next two years in a way that I came to understand the meaning of professionalism and excellence.

                  

 Then days passed, morning rounds became more than a routine. I actually started enjoying my work because now I had a person in my life whom I called my Mentor. It’s not her clinical acumen that made her an extraordinary person, it was her charisma to touch lives and change them. She made me believe in myself and urged me to do more. I learnt from her that I should expect more from myself. She taught me well that much is not enough I am capable of doing more.

                                       I always thought we have two kind of people in our life, good people and not so good people but then I found a third kind, extraordinary people. They praise you for your small achievements just to make it possible that you achieve something big and take the responsibilities of your own shortcomings so that you may not lose heart. Her intelligent remarks at the rounds or her cheerful child like joy on her residents interest in the subject and the satisfaction after pulling the patients out of their miserable plight, are things legends are made of.

                        

                                   Leaving Ganga Ram was very difficult for me because among other reasons it was fear of loosing her in my life as my guiding light but I was full of hope and joy because I might make her feel proud of me. Last day she called me in office and gave me a small gift as a remembrance token and I promised her to come up to not only her but also my own expectations. I left with heavy heart but full of hope.  How misfortunate I was, I did not know it was last time I was seeing her.

                      

                                   Dengue struck Lahore and gave our petty leaders a perfect stage to play their political saga out of our misery. It was doctors that stood by in this hour of need and presented everything they have but giving one own life was a price too high. Month was October when we took sigh of relief because things started becoming better but we were naive to notice the silent cold steps of death toward our loved one. News of her critical situation made me numb and I was struck with grief and prayed for a miracle .....but there is something about prayers, prayers are always answered but sometimes answer is No. She left us all to be with her creator in eternal peace. She fought a good fight and left a good legacy but left many questions? Who will guard the guardian?  Today we all share the sorrow of the family and the loved ones. May God give them their peace and patience to bear this loss.Let us all keep her alive in our lives by doing what she expected from us and becoming a living example of her deeds . Let us all live our lives by Dr Asma Nazeer ‘s way.

When the body sinks into death, the essence of man is revealed.

Man is a knot, a web, a mesh into which relationships are tied. 
Only those relationships matter…………"

From Epidemic to Endemic

                 We have learnt from the history that we do not learn from the history and those who do not learn from the history are doomed to repeat it.
                One of my friend once told me that and how correctly this statement fits to the present situation.Dengue although over rated by our pseudo intellectual media,has added to our current misery.No electricity , soaring fuel prices and above all this bone break disease. I still remember working extra shifts last two years and hoping that someone would come up with the simple thing called Prevention .
                Its not the death rate I am worried because , dengue is still far less lethal than other viral diseases like HCV/HBV endemic in our population but its our sense of responsibility which is real concern. They say , prevention is better than cure but I think our health department is so naive to understand this and this easily preventable disease has become a nightmare for our provincial capital while we are still listening to the chants of good governance by our masters.

              Its not strange if Punjab Govt , plays a blame game and holds Federal Govt responsible for this like electricity short fall but the real concern is what did we do to control this havoc.One outbreak is disease , two is misery but five outbreaks mean its just not poor public health policy its bigger than that . None of us is ready to take responsibility , every year in summer we know by courtesy of media that how this disease spreads and yet we the good citizens of Lahore hardly do anything required. The fresh water source is our waste which we add to the environment. Then we are not ready to face it as well . We are proud Nation consisting 170million people and we run short of blood donation pools. We are successful business personals but we hide platelet kits to have extra profit. We actually wait for the epidemic to earn extra profit.
   
                      Although our Govt has failed in many spheres and Media has been acting juvenile but we the citizens of this land are equally responsible for this epidemic and if we do not take responsibility then the time is near when this epidemic will be endemic and all we have is misery and despair. Its time to stand up and prove ourselves and learn from the history and better prepare ourselves for bigger things to come than a preventable viral disease.

Dedicated to all the Medical Personals walking extra mile to make a difference . I am proud of you all
Pakistan Zindabaad.