Week: 4 Writing Assignment Narrative Essay

Week: 4 Writing Assignment Narrative Essay

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Week: 4 Writing Assignment Narrative Essay

During summer break, I decided to work for a charitable organization that aims to improve community healthcare facilities while also providing quality care to the patients. Several other volunteers and I used to visit different hospitals and advocate for the importance of patient safety and hygiene. On Monday afternoon, a severely injured boy was rushed into the hospital where I was working. His shirt was covered with blood, and he was crying due to immense pain. Despite several efforts of his parents, the hospital administration denied admitting the boy in a hospital just because he was black. A sight of the severely injured child made me question why the discrimination based on color is still prevailing in our society (Thomson, 1997). In this essay, I will reflect upon my experience that I had while working as a volunteer at a local healthcare facility.

Working at a healthcare facility is a bit overwhelming. This is because, in a hospital, a person experiences various emotion. Some people are happy because they recovered while some are sad as they lost their dear ones. Despite experiencing various situations, I never experienced a situation in which an injured child was not admitted to the hospital because of his color. Although, the parents of a boy fulfilled all forms and formalities required by the hospital to admit a patient. However, even after completing all the requirements, the hospital administration did not let the boy be admitted to a hospital. It was a very shocking moment for me as I have never seen anything like this before.

The boy's parents stated that he was beaten by the bullies at his school, who used to make fun of his looks and color, yet still, the hospital administration refused to admit the boy. According to hospital management, a boy must be involved in some kind of gang fight due to which he was severely injured. So without police permission, they will not start treating him. The parents and other people who were present at the hospital opposed hospital staff's decision and demanded first aid treatment for a boy. However, the situation was getting worse, and due to the loss of blood, the boy lost consciousness.

The whole situation sparked anger and frustration. I could not believe in my eyes as living in a country where every citizen has a right to attain quality healthcare; the boy was not even able to get first aid treatment. Even though his parents explained the whole situation to management again and again yet still, they did not believe them. Many other people and I tried to negotiate with the staff to at least provide first aid to the boy, but all our efforts were in vain. However, at the same time, police arrived and ordered the hospital staff to admit a boy and start treating him. The police also took severe action against the hospital management and issued warning as well. Soon after the police intervention, the boy was treated and gained consciousness after a few hours. Although he lost lots of blood yet still managed to recover with the aid of physicians and nurses.

This experience taught me a lot regarding the difficulties that black and many other immigrants face while getting healthcare facilities. Despite several laws that are made to protect the right of every citizen, issues like discrimination based on color are still prevailing in our society (Charatz-Litt, 1992). This experience changed my life, and since then, I decided to spread awareness among people regarding the importance of human life irrespective of the color, gender, and class differences.

References

Charatz-Litt, C. (1992). A chronicle of racism: the effects of the white medical community on black health. Journal of the National Medical Association, 84(8), 717.

Thomson, G. E. (1997). Discrimination in health care. Annals of Internal Medicine, 126(11), 910-912.