The Politics of Care: A Critical Analysis of Arogya Niketan

Abstract

Literature plays a significant role in understanding the experience of illness and promotes an understanding of the lived reality. The lived reality is often miscommunicated and misinterpreted as the doctor is expected to possess all knowledge of illness that the patient undergoes. Moreover, the doctor hardly acknowledges the limitation to treat completely when illness is life threatening and carry the burden of saving, when extending and providing quality is the only possibility. The use of medical terminologies by doctors creates a gap between the doctor-patient relationship, as the affected feels a void between the people around. The void can be palpable when articulated effectively and the world of sickness is not misguided by assumptions and misconceptions like social stigmas and stereotypes on illness. Arogya Niketan by Tarasankar Banerjee explores human health, suffering and death in close quarters. The story revolves around the doctor, Jiban Moshay, who unravels an ailment and predict the longevity of the person by checking the pulse of the patient which is illogical. The conflict between Jiban Moshay and Pradyut alludes the treatment between ayurveda and allopathy and how ages before the southern perspective on holistic care of the patient, where medicine is not business but a means of vocation is installed. The gradual transition from holistic treatment to western concept of treating only the disease can be seen. The need for integrating human connection becomes a realization to Pradyut who witnesses the death of Moshay. The paper attempts to explore the entanglements in doctor-patient relationships by using the concept of Foucault's medical gaze. The concept of medical gaze seeks to establish how medical professionals objectify the 'patients’ body' from the 'patient's person The framework of critical medical humanities helps us to foster the need for empathy, ethics in medicine and the importance of social justice. Additionally, the non-medical aspects like infallibility, intuition, beliefs are interrogated.