Summer 2004. New York
City.
Pre-employment medical exam (Employee Health-the dreaded
place)
Bad news: Positive PPD 8 mm.
Getting a letter from the department. “Go to chest clinic,
get CXR”
(Chest x-ray was
negative)
The fourth time. Nothing positive about it for me.
Chest Clinic: Tuesday
Physician prescribes INH and B6 for 9 months. Need to go to nurse every week to get
treated.
Otherwise paycheck is held. They mean business.
Post call day.
Lab coat heavy with books and to do lists from the
previous night.
Stomach acid eating the lining for the entire hour. The July
morning is already warm
Air conditioner
rumbling to push the humid air.
Nurse is not ready. She is sitting there, knowing that there
is a crowd outside. She is staring at the computer screen while yelling at someone
over the phone with the Jamaican accent. Her bracelet shining in the sunlight
falling through the dirty glass windows.
Sat with the rest of the urbanites and junkies in that
gloomy dilapidated building.
He saw the young Russian lady sitting at the corner. Yes;
she was there too at the employee health.
The positive PPD, the wrath of the immigrants.
“If you never had TB, this is your chance to get it”, He
thought.
Finally nurse appears and trying to read the longest name
she ever saw.
Having seen the same misery many times, raised hand, got up
and walked to her room.
“You may sit down”
“Sign here against your name and put last 4 digits of your
SSN”
Nurse picks up a polystyrene cup of tap water and three
different tablets.
“Take these tablets and drink water”
Somehow he remembered the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest.”
Then he was awakened by the Jamaican accent again
“Doctor, what would you like to take: a Metrocard or a McDonald
coupon?"
"Why?"
Nurse replied,
"Oh... this is for you to come every week to get the medicine."
Children visiting NYC were given stack of McDonald Coupons.
"Take as many as you want. "Whoa... Did you steal it? what on earth one will buy this many McDonald coupons?"
