God fearing

Some years ago I used to get help from a surgeon who lived and practiced close by. The set up he had was good for minor procedures but not major surgery.

One morning I saw a patient who was in severe pain around his anal area which made him sit on one half of his bottom. And seeing me smile looking at the way he sat he said,’ you are laughing, you don’t know what it means to have pain there,’ pointing to his posterior. The smile was quickly replaced by concern and I made him strip and had a close look. The man had a small abscess [collection of pus] next to the anal margin, an extremely painful condition. What he needed was a simple procedure of draining of the pus.

I sent him with a note to this surgeon requesting urgent help.

An hour later the patient came back. I was happy with such prompt attention and thought he has come to thank me. Instead the patient said with irritation in his voice,’ Please doctor send me to some other doctor, your friend is no good, he spends more time doing his prayers than attending to patients’

I agreed to send him elsewhere but was curious to know what had transpired. I asked him. He said, ‘I went there and waited in his waiting area with other patients, your friend came, went to his room and came out with a burning joss stick and proceeded to perform a ritualistic prayer to each of the gods photos he has hung in the waiting area, I got cheesed off, he should be attending to us first and do his prayers at home, I lost my patience and confidence in that man and decided to come back here’

So he went to another surgeon and got the abscess drained.
The surgeon in question became a drug addict and alcoholic and died few years ago!