Doctor bashing (again)
posted in - General, - Palmdoc |I came across this Doctor bashing thread in the USJ forums and decided to add my 2 sen. This was my post:
You might as well add, Lawyers were not like before. Teachers were not like before, blah blah
From the doctors perspective, actually Patients were not like before too. We see increasingly patients with unreasonable demands and who don’t know that their behaviour is obnoxious
The common feature in this thread is about $$$. Everyone is concerned about this and it seems that healthcare should be a “essential right” like food, shelter, education which we don’t pay for either (hmmm?)
Seriously, why gripe about this when you people should realise the problem lies in the healthcare system. We don’t have a proper National Healthcare Financing system (the one in the pipleline seems to take forever) so unless you are insured or covered by your employer, the money comes out of your pocket if you happen to seek care at a private healthcare facilty. The latter is not a charitable institution and is not there to make financial losses.
The blame goes to the doctors but the majority of hospitals are indeed owned by business corporations and if you look at the bill, you know where the bulk of the charges go. Under the law (PHFSA), doctors professional charges are controlled but hospital charges are not. So please vent your anger at the Government for this mess.
In the past medicine was simple but now things are getting very complex and there expensive tests, procedures and treatments which weren’t available yesteryear. Expectations of cure are also high (not like before, where in the past many illnesses could not be effectively treated) and all these things drive up cost.
So yes, everything is not like before.
Palmdoc then quickly put on his Internet armour and was ready for the flames…..
I am not condoning unprofessional behaviour by doctors and you’ll bet there are blacksheep amongst us. There are those who will think they are God’s gift to patients and have ego problems. There a a small minority who might even behave in an unethical manner but if patients encounter this, the proper thing is to make a complaint to the authorities. Do not tar all doctors with the same brush.
People sounded indignant in the forum. What? Patients must behave as well? The very thought of it. Sometimes when you read of people’s complaints against professionals (not only doctors) or some aspect of the service industry, you need to hear out the other side as well. Some Malaysians just don’t know how to behave and are indeed quite obnoxious and rude. It takes an extremely calm and cool head when you face obnoxious behaviour.
Isabelle in the forums was a voice of reason and what she wrote is something I wish all would read and practice
I believe it is all down to how people communicate. I don’t think doctors (or any other professions) are intentionally rude and arrogant if we are not rude and arrogant when we communicate. I never face any problem with doctors because when I visit them, I ask them for their expert advices (isn’t that is why I visit them?) politely, listen to their advices and if there are explanations I am not certain about, I would ask for clarification politely and with a friendly smile. It is very difficult for another person to be rude to you if you are friendly and polite. Try it.
The majority of patients I encounter belong to the pleasant and polite category.
If both parties behave nicely towards each other, then the meeting will be much more productive and fruitful. Smile at someone and likely he or she will smile back at you. Be nice and others will be nice to you.
Last 5 posts by Palmdoc
- Doctors gone wild again - September 1st, 2010
- Tools of the trade XIX - September 1st, 2010
- Feedback: Housemanship - August 31st, 2010
- Merdeka!! - August 31st, 2010
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January 30th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I have to agree that communication between the doctor and the patient/family is utmost important, even among the medical community too. I wish to tell my encounter with a private doctor whom I found was rude. My uncle had a medical condition and was frustrated after been ‘pushed around’ in the government hospital. From word of mouth I was recommended to a private doctor who is expert in treating my uncle’s condition. After having waited for 3 hours (unbelievably longer waiting time compared to the government clinic!), we were there just spending only 5 minutes to see the doctor, as the clinic was so busy. What really annoyed me was, as a doctor myself, who is unfamiliar with the procedure, I tried to generate discussion and opinion by asking some questions. I was shocked as this doctor put me off in a rude way by saying, ” I don’t want to listen to what other people do, and this is what I am going to do.” We were not even given the time to absorb and think about the procedure. As a junior doctor, and out of respect for this senior doctor, I just kept my mouth shut. He sounded very unfriendly but we had no choice cause we were told he was the most skillful. I came to realize that some doctor is rude, even toward other colleague. My last comment is, try putting ourself in the patient’s shoes, and we will understand how the patient feels.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Well written, Palmdoc. I always make it a point to be nice to all the patients I see, but I also make it very clear that I WILL NOT tolerate rude and obnoxious patients. To continue with the consultation when I’m on the receiving end of these abuses is an absolute conflict of interest on my part.
January 31st, 2008 at 7:03 am
@pseudomallei – I feel for you. Some doctors, even senior ones, lack communication skills and I can understand how talking with them will be an irritating experience. You noted how busy his clinic was and how little time he had for patients. Perhaps these doctors should think of restricting the numbers of patients they see in a clinic session so that their consultations can be of a better quality than a 5 minute meeting. Surely this is more important than making more money. Some private specialists clinics indeed can be worse than Government OPDs!