Re: When you are helpless (esp. in this country)
^^^ 
To answer the original question, first of all, is the lady who is in the hospital complaining?
She probably understands that going to work is important as well and given the situation that his work is far off it may be difficult for him to reroute due to traffic, etc. At least he can be back to the hospital in the evening and spend some quality time with her for the rest of the day instead of rushing in and out.
Maybe he can be proactive and bring over some extra food and leave it in the fridge at the hospital…most rooms have a fridge and a microwave, then in the morning the nurses can help her warm it.
Yeah, sometimes it looks bad to an observer while the actual two people involved may be OK with the arrangement.
Regarding women going all out but the husbands not reciprocating…well it’s on a case to case basis and I guess a lot has to do with traditions in your home and family, what standards have been set, etc.