When I started reading the article, “The Checklist,” I did not know what was waiting for me and by the time I finished it, I could do nothing more than admire the skill that Atul Gawande has to captivate the reader. Just by saying that a fifteen-page reading felt very short to me because it was so entertaining and well written. However, I must admit that when Gawande described the things that take place in the I.C.U., specifically the stories of the Australian girl who fell into the icy fishpond and the one about Anthony DeFilippo, I was literally cringing at my desk.

Moreover, it is incredible that with an insignificant checklist multiple lives and millions of dollars can be saved, however, it is even more impressive that by the arrogance of some doctors this initiative has not been implemented at national level. Now, as the author says, one cannot be naive and think that a checklist is going to save lives and money by itself. The truth is that we need qualified people, people who like to run the extra mile, and people who do not settle for mediocre degrees and seek excellence. I think it’s time to end the ideology of entitlement.