Stories from Hospital — 01

My mother was admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital recently. For me, this isn't a new experience. Since 2020, this is probably my sixth time attending a patient in a hospital, with my mother herself having been hospitalised thrice since December 2023. 

Of course, not every moment of a hospital stay is groundbreaking or universally relatable. In this post, I'll be sharing selected stories focusing on those that I hope will resonate beyond my personal circumstances. Hope the stories will capture a broader human truth offer a unique perspective. 

Water and Dal

Across India, state-issued health insurance policies aim to make healthcare accessible, but the reality on the ground often tells a different story. Issues like hospitals refusing to accept the insurance or facing frustratingly delayed payment approvals are common.

This story begins when a patient's family, after much searching, finally found a hospital in their town that accepted the state's health insurance. Relief quickly turned to dismay, however, as they uncovered another significant problem: the quality of food provided to insured patients was abysmal. Often, it was so poor that patients simply couldn't eat it.

This experience sparked the idea for this story, a narrative that might be exaggerated for effect but certainly stems from a place of genuine frustration.

So, here's the scene: In the general ward of a hospital, lunch and dinner were served. The meals were consistently simple: rice or roti, dal, and water, for the most part. The hospital administration, in a gesture that was either thoughtful or telling, had actually labeled the bowls "Dal" and "Water." Perhaps this was to help patients to differentiate which one was "Dal" and which one "Water".

You may have a look at the cartoon image below with the caption.

Hospital mealtime!
Patients received rice, dal, and water.
Thankfully, the hospital authority kindly labeled the bowls,
this is "Dal" and this is "Water".
Image creation: Google Gemini

Five Minutes? Or, How Many Seconds Do 5 Minutes Really Have?

Please think a simple math problem like "How many seconds are in five minutes?" would have a straightforward answer: 300. But, this arithmetic can be a highly subjective art form.

So, a person was quizzed with that very question"How many seconds do 5 minutes have?"

They confidently replied "500 seconds!"

"Try again," they were prompted.

Undaunted, they offered, "2,000 seconds!"

By the third attempt, a sigh of exasperation likely hung in the air. "600 seconds!" came the final, baffling answer.

When pressed on these rather peculiar calculations, the individual, with a polite shrug that probably contained multitudes of weary experience, explained, "Oh, we work at a hospital desk. For us, when we say 'five minutes,' it could honestly be any of those numbers."

This little anecdote might be steeped in satire, but it’s certainly simmering with a hearty dose of frustration. It possibly captures the time distortion you encounter in hospitals and other service sectors like public sector banks. You know the drill: you're told to "go outside and wait for five minutes," and suddenly, that five minutes can stretch, warp, and transform into any number of seconds.

Here you may see a visual 

At public hospitals, or other service sectors, 
5 minutes do not necessarily mean 300 seconds.
It can be 500 seconds, it can be 1,000 seconds,
and it can be anything.
Image creation: Google Gemini

You might share your experiences in the comment section below. However, please avoid very specific details like individuals' names, if possible,

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This page was last updated on: 29 June 2025
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