Figure out how to save a post, folks, 'cause here's
the actual THE LANCET article from September 1994,
with a full and complete citation, spelling out the
ways in which the "Missionaries of Charity" in
Calcutta, formerly led by Mother Theresa prior to
her death, deny proper medical care to the patients
in their care, and in fact do their best to avoid
giving the correct drugs to patients in their care.
A word about what the article does not say: the
of-repeated dialog between Mother Theresa and the
patient in agonizing pain (Mother Theresa: "Thats
Jesus Kissing You") is not mentioned in this
article. All that is mentioned, relative to that
incident, is that Mother Theresa denies strong
painkillers to the patients in her care.
This is the relevant portion of the article to
the anti-medical care provided by Mother Theresa's
Calcutta "mission." The entire article is reprinted
at the end for those who want the entire thing.
Those who want to shout about "spelling errors"
will need to remember that the British spell many
things simply WRONG, such as changing the correct
spelling of "color" to "colour". One is reminded
of Dan Quayle insisting that "potato" is spelled
"potatoe".
(naturally the diatribe about the spelling ability
of the British is entirely tongue-in-cheek)
Also, the entire article only condemns Mother
Theresa's insistence on not providing proper
medical care to patients in her Home for the
Dying. In other respects it is quite a
pro-Mother Theresa article. This is a doctor's
perspective on the lack of quality in the health
care in Mother Theresa's Home for the Dying.
This article was not written by someone with an
anti-Mother Theresa or anti-Catholic bias, and
he clearly knows nothing about the millions of
dollars Mother Theresa has socked away in the
Vatican Bank.
====================================================
THE LANCET
Volume 344, Number 8925.
Saturday 17 September 1994
Bound edition: Page 807-808
====================================================
CALCUTTA PERSPECTIVE
Mother Theresa's care for the dying
-----------------------------------
....
....
What sort of medical care do they get? It is
haphazard. There are doctors who call in from
time to time but usually the sisters and
volunteers (some of whom have medical knowledge)
make decisions as best they can. I saw a young
man who had been admitted in poor shape with
high fever, and the drugs prescribed had been
tetracycline [antibiotic] and paracetamol
[commonly known in the U.S.A. as "Tylenol"].
Later, a visiting doctor diagnosed probable
malaria [which is unaffected by antibiotics]
and substituted chloroquine [anti-malarial].
Could not someone have looked at a blood film?
Investigations, I was told, are seldom
permissible. How about simple algorithms that
might help the sisters and volunteers distinguish
the curable from the incurable? Again no. Such
systematic approaches are alien to the ethos of
the home. Mother Theresa prefers providence to
planning; her rules are designed to prevent any
drift towards materialism; the sisters must
remain on equal terms with the poor.
....
....
(One requirement is that all prescriptions be
written in pencil, and subsequently rubbed out,
to allow re-use of the paper.)
....
....
Finally, how competent are the sisters at
managing pain? On a short visit I could not
judge the power of their spiritual approach,
but I was disturbed to learn that the formulary
includes no strong analgesics. Along with the
neglect of diagnosis, the lack of good analgesia
marks Mother Theresa's approach as clearly
separate from the hospice movement.
I know which I prefer.
====================================================
ENTIRE ARTICLE:
====================================================
THE LANCET
Volume 344, Number 8925. Saturday 17 September 1994
Bound edition: Page 807-808
====================================================
CALCUTTA PERSPECTIVE
Mother Theresa's care for the dying
by Robin Cox
-----------------------------------
On Sept 8 the Calcutta /Telegraph/ reported that
an unidentified man aged about 65 had been found
dead near the Kalighat Temple. The remarkable
thing is that this incident was newsworthy. A
walk through that squalid part of the city will
show you disease and degradation on a grand scale.
The fact that people seldom die on the street is
largely thanks to the work of Mother Theresa and
her mission. The citizens have been sensitised by
her work over the past 40 years; and, where formerly
they tended to avert their eyes, now they are likely
to call an ambulance. And, if the hospitals refuse
admission, Mother Theresa's Home for the Dying will
provide.
The home is a former pilgrim's hostel close to
the temple. Visitors are welcome, especially if
willing to work (my wife and I fed some of the
residents and scoured the metal plates and
drinking vessels with wood ash). There are two
large rooms, for men and women, each with three
rows of concrete benches with green plastic
mattresses. In a central lobby two sisters of
Mother Theresa's order, the Missionaries of
Charity, were coordinating the efforts of five
volunteers (young people from Belgium, Germany,
and Japan). Along with two novices from the
order, they were distributing rice, vegetables,
and water to about 90 men and women.
I was surprised to see many of the inmates eating
heartily and doing well. These days, it seems,
more than two-thirds leave the home on their feet.
Their common feature is not that they were
originally perceived to be dying but that they had
failed to gain admission elsewhere. What sort of
medical care do they get? It is haphazard. There
are doctors who call in from time to time but
usually the sisters and volunteers (some of whom
have medical knowledge) make decisions as best they
can. I saw a young man who had been admitted in
poor shape with high fever, and the drugs prescribed
had been tetracycline [antibiotic] and paracetamol
[commonly known in the U.S.A. as "Tylenol"]. Later,
a visiting doctor diagnosed probable malaria [which
is unaffected by antibiotics] and substituted
chloroquine [anti-malarial]. Could not someone have
looked at a blood film? Investigations, I was told,
are seldom permissible. How about simple algorithms
that might help the sisters and volunteers
distinguish the curable from the incurable? Again
no. Such systematic approaches are alien to the
ethos of the home. Mother Theresa prefers
providence to planning; her rules are designed to
prevent any drift towards materialism; the sisters
must remain on equal terms with the poor. So the
most important features of the regimen are
cleanliness, the tending of wounds and sores, and
loving kindness. (One requirement is that all
prescriptions be written in pencil, and subsequently
rubbed out, to allow re-use of the paper.) If you
give money to Mother Theresa's home, don't expect
it to be spent on some little luxury. Finally, how
competent are the sisters at managing pain? On a
short visit I could not judge the power of their
spiritual approach, but I was disturbed to learn
that the formulary includes no strong analgesics.
Along with the neglect of diagnosis, the lack of
good analgesia marks Mother Theresa's approach as
clearly separate from the hospice movement. I
know which I prefer.
====================================================
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