I don’t know how we can survive

I, and one of my friends (who is also a relative and just seven days older than me), grew up, lived and studied back in Iraq. We had no secrets between us, knowing everything about each other. During our study and in the beginning, our parents used to give us the same weekly allowance, but after several years, the prices of everything, including food, increased, and our allowance became insufficient. My father realized the situation and increased my allowance, but my friend’s father didn’t raise his, and my friend started to struggle. (Back home, perhaps unlike Canada, it was common to receive allowances until and sometimes after university graduation). All attempts to convince my friend’s father to increase his allowance failed. (Unfortunately, the negotiators weren’t as efficient back then, and they failed to secure even a 1% increase for him.) One day, I saw him worried and asked him what was bothering him. He said he doesn’t know how he will survive with the rising prices and his stagnant allowance. His father’s response was always, “He has to figure it out, and if he can’t, then he should quit his school.” Indeed, my friend dropped out of school, worked on his own and saved up some money then returned after a few years to school. Read: Dr. Jabir Jassam: Beyond the white coat: A symphony of love Adam is one of my patients who takes testosterone injections every two weeks, and he insisted on only getting the injection from me. I informed him that if that were the case, he would have to wait a little, as I would have to fit him in between other patients, but it wouldn’t be a real visit. He agreed, and this arrangement continued for several years. One day, he was more delayed than usual and started speaking angrily to the staff, claiming he was a patient, and that I was not doing it for free; I charged a decent amount for it, so he should be seen quickly without any delays. The staff informed me of this, and then when the time allowed, I called him in and playfully asked him while I was preparing the injection how much he thought I would get paid for the injection I give him every two weeks. He hesitated and said, “I do not know.” So, I continued the playful banter and asked him to give it a guess. He looked at me and said, “150 dollars.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and jokingly said, “If that were the case, I would give you three injections a day.” I encouraged him to guess again but lower the amount significantly. He thought for a moment and said, “100 dollars.” I could see he was trying to be more realistic this time, but I continued laughing. He asked how much I actually get paid for the injections. I looked at him and said, “It’s six dollars.” He couldn’t believe it until I showed him the pricing list. I reminded him that part of that amount is the cost of the syringe. He apologized, and his attitude completely changed after that. A few weeks ago, he asked me if there had been any change in the payment amount after all these price increases and inflation, but once again, I shocked him with my answer, which you all know. My landlord has significantly increased the rent, and the minimum wage has increased as well and nobody agrees to work for less than $17 or $18 dollars per hour due to the rising costs of living. Medical supply prices have also increased dramatically. Despite all of that, my “friend’s father” is still insisting on paying us the same allowance. I am slightly uncertain about what to do. Should I work something else and make some money and then return to medicine like my friend did, or should I continue giving Adam his testosterone injection and get the six dollars? It’s a tough decision, huh? Dr. Jabir Jassam is a family physician in Ottawa.

I don’t know how we can survive

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