(Half Bell)

(Bell)

Dear Thay, our friend said

Several people here have had
family members' lives ended, killed

by the negligence of doctors and nurses.

This has caused much distress and 
suffering to the remaining family members.

How do we change these systems?

Letters written are ignored.

Meetings with hospital personnel
lead to nothing.

What can we do so 
these negative behaviours and attitudes

of health personnels will change

toward the elderly, the disabled 
and everyone else?

(Half bell)

(Bell)

The other day we spoke about 
a place of healing

and the hospital is a place of healing.

And we count on technology, medicines 
and the skills of doctors and nurses.

But if health professionals 
are not happy

are not calm enough,

are not relaxed enough.

If health professionals suffer,

it means that they cannot serve

people and patients 
the best way that they can.

So if it happens that you are
the director of a hospital,

if you are the minister of health,

if you are in a field of health,

then you may like to meditate on that.

You may invite some of your colleagues 
to sit down,

and look deeply into the topic:

how to bring a spiritual dimension into
the life of health professionals.

We already have offered retreats 
for health professionals.

We know they suffer a lot.

We also have offered retreats 
for psychotherapists,

because many therapists suffer also a lot.

If they suffer too much, 
they cannot help the patients

and maybe they could 
do harm to their patients.

That is why bringing that
spiritual dimension

into our professional life
is very important.

If you do not have enough serenity, 
calm, patience, compassion,

you cannot exercise our skills well.

We can harm people

and they may sue us.

So both patients and
health professionals suffer,

not only patients.

So when you see 
members of your family suffer

because of the way health professionals 
have taken care of your beloved ones,

You should also see the sufferings 
of the health professionals'.

And you react with 
compassion and understanding.

instead of trying to punish them,

you try to help them.

You can use loving speech and other means.

You have to create a public opinion,

a kind of collective mindfulness

so that the people, the population

become aware of that.

That is also the practice of mindfulness:

Helping people in your country

become aware of that problem.

Mindfulness of what is going on.

And make enough pressure

even if it comes from mindfulness.

So that we are strong enough 
in order to push for change,

in a circle of health activists.

There must be ways to do that.

And if you are so busy,

you don't have the time to sit down

and make up the strategies of how

to create that kind of collective awareness

that will help people

and force people to change

because health professionals
like doctors and nurses,

they may be victims 
of that kind of institutions,

the way they organise.

And maybe there are 
those of them who want to change,

but do not have the power to change.

So we should help.

(Half Bell)

(Bell)