Generations ago there was a young man name Aloysius Gonzaga. He cared for plague patients. Later, he contracted the disease himself and died. Saint Aloysius is a man I have long admired. It has always been such a profound situation for me to consider. Not only caring for the patient but the sacrifice in uniting with their condition to such a, well, fatal degree.
Health care professionals are trained to care for the sick. If they aren't ready to go to battle in times of great medical need, who can? I certainly don't think that every physician should encounter the same fate as St. Aloysius. But I do think that times of intense challenge, such as a pandemic, shouldn't paralyze the medical profession. It is a time to respond. As the article mentioned, preplanning of emergency protocol and supply/use of personal protective equipment should be an essential element of any health care institution to prepare to address the challenge in the best manner possible.
Is there a duty to care? To those whom much has been given, much is expected. Right? To what degree? I don't know until I get there.
Nice thoughtful essay. You said, "I don't know until I get there." Sometimes you still don't know, even when you get there ...
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