Four years back, we went to a nearby hospital for a full check-up. Its quite well known, spacious and clean. The hostess, smartly dressed in black suit ferried us around.
Wow. A luxurious experience.
Having done blood tests and the other mandatory ones, the referral to the Malayalee physician followed. She was friendly, but got a bit on my nerves. She laughed away my early symptoms of spondylitis. I couldn't grip her hand as tightly as she wanted me to. I told her its because I pitied her hand.
She laughed some more, then realized it was true. So she jotted down some medication and gladly we were off to our next destination.
The sonography. We drank some bottles of water as directed by the nurse. My turn came to go in. Made to lie down, covered with a white sheet, I waited.
The male doctor, slightly bald, about thirty, greeted me and sat at the machine. A tall, fair young man soon joined him. He may have been a trainee.
I wanted to protest, but didn't. The nurse stood behind the curtain.
Strange, I thought. She ought to have been this side of it.
The Dr moved the device over my exposed abdomen, scanning the monitor simultaneously. 'All's fine', he said.
'Is the next patient ready? he asked the woman on the other side.
'No', she replied, 'when she discovered you are male she wouldn't come in'.
He didn't reply.
My bladder threatened to burst each time he moved the device over my tummy.
Finally, it was over. I sighed in relief.
I made a move to get dressed again. They just sat looking. Hello, I wanted to say. Please move away.
But was helpless. They watched as I finally pulled up and buckled my trousers. Thank God it wasn't a saree.
I moved away my sheet, got up to go, embarrassed.
I felt so odd then.
The men looked intelligent, but so discourteous.
Didn't they know they must give me space for myself? I'm not just an object of study, or a source of their money.
Don't they teach this in medical school, how one needs to treat patients especially women, with more sensitivity?
For the first time, I found myself in agreement with the lady who refused to be his patient.
