Notes

The Arab Spring turmoiled my country. It was a common sight to see corpses on the streets and the news reporting on patients being treated in parking lots. This was in stark contrast to the humanitarian nature of Canadian healthcare committed to the dignity of life. Observing both sides of the spectrum for 20 years made me develop the utmost respect for healthcare and the right to life; to realize healthcare’s essential role in our individual quality of life, which motivates me to pursue medicine. Settling in Canada among other low-income minorities gave me an insider’s view on how socioeconomic factors like unemployment and social & cultural capital shape the marginalized healthcare experience. Seeing the unemployed resort to home remedies due to a lack of insurance and cases deteriorate because prescriptions were too expensive all taught me that patients are far more than their physical ailments and can not be isolated from their socioeconomic background. Therefore, empathy and understanding all aspects of a patient need to guide a physician’s interaction and their serious commitment to good medicine for all, not just the privileged.