The Critical Question

Back to Part 1 – Your Health Crisis

Your mind is reeling. But what is your most urgent concern? Do you want to know if you have enough money to pay for the medical services you are receiving? Doubtful. Do you want to know if the doctor has access to all the most up-to-date technology? Perhaps. Do you want to know if the doctor has a good grasp of the medical skills and knowledge needed to deal with your condition? Maybe.

Is it possible that the physician has all the best technology and skill yet could use those things in a way that does not have your best interests in mind? Is it possible that the physician could even choose to withhold the necessary life-saving skills—or worse yet, use those skills to harm you further? Is it possible that government regulation constrains him from using the skills or technology that could bring you back to health?

What you really want to know, that which is your most pressing and intimate concern at that moment of absolute powerlessness, is “Who is this man? Can I trust him to give me my life back despite his personal interests or even the interests of the hospital or government?” It is the character of the doctor taking care of you that means the most. Without a doctor’s primary concern being your good, the good of his patient, the fact that he holds all power over you at your most vulnerable time of life becomes your worst nightmare.