Bibliographic Info:
Title: Mountains Beyond Mountains
Author: Tracy Kidder
Publisher: The Random House Publishing Group
Year Published: 2003
Precis:
Dr. Paul Farmer always puts patients before himself and the healthy, unless he gets severly injured/sick and forces himself to just rest. He represents the Haitians and spoke out about the flaws within a DOT program that actually can worsen patients' health conditions. Dr. Farmer is never into the money or business, he simply just wants and hopes that the sick and poor of third world countries can have better care.
Quotes/Responses:
"Farmer and Kim and Bayona would soon meet people whose families had sold most of their meager possessions and had bought as much of those drugs as they could. Not enough to get cured, however, only enough to aquire still further resistance. Others had given up and gone back to their shacks on the barren, dusty hillsides and were waiting there to die." (Page 140)
Response: This is dissapointing because I thought WHO created systems and benefits that would support the health of many sick people; but in this case its causing a bigger problem. The sad thing is though that nobody questioned the DOT program until Farmer noticed the issue and made a speech on it. I understand that any trusted program would not want their reputation or status to be affected in a negative way, but it makes me shake my head that only people like Farmer can speak about it.
"They didn't have a guaranteed supply of drugs, only the determination to obtain the drugs and the charm to get away from borrowing.....They lacked proper institutional support. The weight of opinion stood against them. Their organization was small and it had other projects, in Haiti and Boston and elsewhere, and Peru put a strain on everyone." (Page 150)
Response: This caught my attention because Farmer dosn't care about the pressures placed on him, and the amounts of borrowed money he most likely will never return. He only thinks for the people who he 'needs' to cure and is like a heroic figure other doctors should follow.
"The problem is, if I don't work this hard, someone will die who dosn't have to. That sounds megalomaniacal. I wouldn't have said that to you before I'd taken you to Haiti and you had seen that it was manifestly true." (Page 191)
Response: I sensed strong responsibility and devotion Dr. Farmer felt about himself on a personal level. He wants to spend his whole life saving lives and curing illnesses, and I thought that was very moving.
"Some people would say things will get so bad that Haitians will revolt. But you can't revolt when you're coughing out your lungs or starving. Someone's going to have to revolt on the Haitian's behalf, including people from the wealthy class." (Page 209)
Response: I agree with the statement, even though I also realize that is easier said than done. Most people in Haiti are sick and dying and the only way their voice is heard is through those that are devoted such as Farmer. It makes sense that the people there are close to the doctor, because he truly is a doctor who cares about his patients.
I was upset that even WHO had flaws, but it wasn't that surprising. Anything that has some sort of government support is bound to have flaws or problems. What really moved me through the book was Dr. Farmer's devotion and love toward his patients. He always got around getting money and always had patients in the back of his mind. Usually, doctors don't stand so personal with their patients, but with Dr. Farmer it is different. To me, he is like a role model for how doctors should put more effort in curing the ill moreso than about money.
No comments:
Post a Comment