Themes

The main themes of the poem “Geriatric Ward” by Phoebe Hesketh are medical responsibility, the natural order and the theme of life versus death.

Medical responsibility

The doctor in the poem represents the symbol of what the author believes medicine should really stand for. Although he has to respect the relatives’ wishes, the doctor still believes that he does not act responsibly. When they become doctors, people make the Hippocratic Oath, which implies respecting the patients and doing everything in their power to make sure that adequate care is offered to them. An important part of the Hippocratic Oath implies that doctors should not play God and should not decide who lives and who dies.

The doctor in the poem is very pessimistic and believes that he has failed part of his responsibility as a medical practitioner. He believes that artificially keeping a patient alive through life support means that he is actually contributing to the patient's suffering.  

For the doctor in the poem, medical responsibility means taking care of the ill, not subjecting them even more to another series of sufferings. This is why the doctor is pessimistic and feels that he has pa...