Referral visit
Previous Chapter
What this story covers
Simran accompanies Birender to Nanauta PHC, and they meet a formidable doctor.
This Chapter
Upon arrival at Nanauta PHC, Simran and Birender informed the Staff Nurse, Mumtaz, that they had been referred by Dr. Sood at Tikroul PHC. Mumtaz opened up the app, and confirmed that there was an inbound referral note. She added them to the queue, asked them to take a seat. Another nurse checked Birender's height, weight and blood pressure.
After a short wait, Simran and Birender went over to see the elderly, stern-faced Dr. Bhargava. Birender felt like he was a 12-year old walking into a principal's office.
Dr. Bhargava did a detailed clinical examination, and asked Birender for his recent prescriptions. Birender pulled out his phone, and found the message with details of his last prescription. Dr. Bhargava scowled at him, then at his phone. She jotted down his last two prescriptions in her notepad, and added her own observations.
Finally, she turned to them both. "Anamika was right to refer you here. We need to check your kidney function, and this is the only PHC in this sub-division with the necessary equipment. The other option would be to send you to Saharanpur.". It took a momement for Birender to remember that Anamika was Dr. Sood's first name. He nodded along.
Simran asked, "Is my father's condition serious, Dr. Bhargava?"
"His diabetes was undiagnozed for at least 3 years. We have to make sure that there are no long-term consequences." Dr. Bhargava went on to explain the progression of the disease, and the link between renal function and diabetes.
The consultation concluded with a prescription for lab tests. Simran and Birender went back to Mumtaz, who directed them to Kiran, the lab technician. Kiran took a urine sample and a blood sample, and informed Birender that the results would be available in an hour.
Simran and Birender both decided to wait. They stepped out of the PHC for a cup of tea. "Please make some fresh tea," said Simran to the shop owner, "and no sugar!". Birender sighed. His days of strong, well-sweetened tea seemed to disappearing like clouds in the summer sky.
On their return to the PHC, Simran enquired about the next steps. Mumtaz explained that Dr. Bhargava would review the lab results, and then give a final prescription. She also explained the what the two tests — Albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) — measured.
By noon, Birender was getting restless. The lab tests were in, but there was a long queue to see Dr. Bhargava. Finally, it was his turn. Dr. Bhargava reviewed a paper printout of the lab test report, and wrote out a prescription. "Your kidneys are ok, but you need to take care of your glucose levels," she said, "Reduce your consumption of rice and rotis, and stay away from sugar. You have to strictly regulate what you eat." Dr. Bhargava paused, and glanced at Simran, who nodded.
"Get a printout of my prescription on the way out. Mumtaz will help you. And come see me next month."
Simran got to Mumtaz's desk first. "Dr. Sood asked us to collect a printout of her prescription," she said.
"The printer is out for repair. Is your mobile number entered in your... ah yes. Let me type in the prescription, and you will get an SMS." Mumtaz proceeded to suit action to her words.
Birender had just returned home when his phone rang. It was Gayatri. "Your test results look ok. Dr. Sood will take a look too. What did Dr. Bhargava say?"
"She asked me to see her in a month."
Next Chapter
None (yet).
Last updated
Was this helpful?