Prof. Dr. Helena Begum

Prof. Dr. Helena Begum is a professor of pediatrics. Neonatology too. MBBS and FCPS. She also did a fellowship in hematology. Blood stuff. That means she sees a lot of pale kids. Thalassemia is pretty common around here. Parents bring in these thick files full of old CBC reports. The papers are usually tearing at the folds. She just sits at her desk. Looks at the hemoglobin numbers. They are always too low. She checks the kids. Pulling down the lower eyelid to look for any pink color. Usually just white. She tells the parents they need another blood transfusion. They just nod. Probably used to it by now. She writes down the blood group on a slip of paper. Tells them to go to the blood bank downstairs.

She spends time in the NICU too. The room is always kept really warm. Smells like baby formula and strong soap. She walks past the clear plastic incubators. Babies inside wearing tiny diapers. Some of them have jaundice. Lying under those bright blue lights. She checks the charts hanging on the metal handles. Just looking at the weight gain. Ten grams here. Twenty grams there. Very slow progress. She teaches the junior doctors. Showing them how to find a tiny vein for an IV line. Takes a lot of patience. She probably drinks a cup of lukewarm tea from a thermos when she gets a break. She finishes checking the last baby. Washes her hands at the sink. Dries them on a towel. Walks out.