Of the generation that goes to the hospital at the slightest itch.

Am seated in the triage room, my day has just began, at 9.00am. See, am a nurse by profession. I have been for the last 7 years. I call my first client...a gentleman by the looks, around 35 years of age in a suit and well groomed. Our conversation goes like:

Me: Hey, how are you?

Him: Am fine, thanks.

Me: Have a seat please...what is the problem?

Him: I have a headache..

Me: How long have you had the headache?

Him: Just woke up today and my head aches..

Me: Have you tried any remedy…..

Him: None

I take his vital signs and forward him to the doctor…

Next patient, another gentleman….

After the usual pleasantries..

Me: What is the issue?

Him: I think i have food poisoning…

Me: (wonders how one thinks they are sick….you are either sick or not) puts on a smile...what makes you think so?

Him: Woke up with diarrhoea…

Me: Just today?

Him: Yes…

And as my day goes on I see many more mostly ‘thinking they are sick’. This always gets me questioning, what happened to real men and also women for that matter. In our old days our parents took us to hospital almost near our death beds. That is after all the home remedies have failed. People nowadays just visit the hospitals for very minor issues, courtesy of the medical covers paid for by their companies. Funny thing is, they come to hospital and after triage, they are still asking whether the doctor will take long to see them. ’How long will it take?’ And am thinking, do you ask how long it will take at the bank or supermarket? The most frustrating are like my last patient for the day… She goes like.’ I woke up with this and that….you know I googled and it could be a symptom of this or that…’ Am seated there with my plastic smile thinking ‘Hunny, I went to med school so I know all that...and didn’t google give the treatment for it?