Last night I have asked my sister to buy chicken head barbecue in the street, I have followed her when I heard commotion outside. It turns out, our second degree younger cousin Paolo was confined in the hospital and in need of operation but there’s isn’t a doctor, they can’t find a doctor that will perform the operation so they have been discussing of bringing the patient to Manila and then ask for help to well-known politicians to facilitate the hospital transfer in Manila to avoid hassle of hospital shopping.

Well, with my mother’s idea we went to the provincial hospital to visit Paolo, since he is her godchild, when we arrived at the hospital we don’t know which building and room to go, so we decided to check the patient’s chart but before we able to see it we’ve seen his mother and his older sister in-law waiting for a doctor. His mother brought us to the public ward where two of his older brothers, cousin and friend are looking after him.

[Photo taken from window reflection]

We are told that Paolo was confined since few days ago because of severe pain in his lower abdomen, he was been confined in a private hospital in the neighboring city where he temporarily resides with his older sister but it was said that the doctor didn’t find anything while his health is deteriorating, that’s when her older sister send him home in our hometown where he was confined again and when his laboratory test came out the findings was he has ruptured appendicitis which has pus already. Upon hearing it, I felt scared with my cousin’s life because as what I know once the appendicitis ruptured it is a matter of life and death and without a doctor who will operate on him, he is doomed. Looking at him in the hospital he is severe pain, I can’t count how many times he agonized in pain. We waited a later longer because his mother talked with a doctor and when he comes back, she was crying endlessly. There isn’t a doctor around, there’s one doctor who can operate him but he isn’t around and he was not picking up the call and they were told to wait until the doctor showed up since he was not in duty. It wasn’t a good idea, it is our cousin’s life on the line so we told them not to wait anymore until the doctor showed up for his duty in the hospital or not to think of the operation cost because life is more important, they can find the money but they cannot return a life so if they can do something right away they should do it because every minute counts, that’s when his sister in-law says they could try to go to the doctor’s house which is just around the hospital neighborhood, they would be lucky if he is around or he was out of town like what they are thinking since he isn’t picking up a call. We went out with them, us going home and them going to the doctor’s house.

Well, early this morning we are told by relatives he is going to be operated by that doctor, probably they were able to see him last night. One young politician would like to send him to Manila because she said it is maybe not appendicitis because once it was ruptured you only have 24 hours to live since it is very dangerous once the poison scattered in his body but it was late already since he is already under the table and being operated. So far, we have no news yet how the operation went. We hope it was successful.