Being a doctor is wonderful. The joy of seeing patients being cured and return to health is a great joy.

MARILAH RAMAI RAMAI MENJADI DOKTOR. Idaman setiap pelajar yang cemerlang

……being a doctor working in Malaysia, as a government SERVANT is another thing all together. I have made 2 different drafts of this post. I have tried my best not to be too critical of my PAYMASTER. Of course, some people will go around saying;

Ek eleh, syukur je la ada kerja. Orang dah bayar gaji tu buat je.

Yes, I am very grateful I have a job. I am able to live a rather comfortable life. Unfortunately, I don’t work in some office where I 

Heck, if I punch in at 8 am sharp, I’ll get a complaint from patients because I am supposed to start attending to patients at 8 am, not 8 am baru nak datang! (which is fair enough since I am supposed to start ting tong-ing my bell at 8 am)

The reason for my frustration is the sudden decision to start shift system in government clinics. Let’s review the past decisions of HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED.

Problem: Not enough doctors in Malaysia

Solution: Get more private colleges to offer Medical degrees

Outcome: Too many sub standard doctors. Too many housemen.

 Problem: Too many colleges offering medicine

Solution: Stop issuing licenses to new colleges

Outcome: Still a lot of colleges offering medicine I tell you!

Problem: Housemen not given enough training

Solution: Extend housemanship to 2 years

Outcome: Too many housemen in hospitals

Problem: Housemen are overworked

Solution: Shift system

Outcome: Substandard medical officers

Is there a trend here? Is everything AWESOME? Each problem was given a short term solution. After some mumbo jambo grand solution is announced another problem crops up months later.

Now, please fill in the blank

Problem: Overcrowded and abuse of emergency departments

Solution: Get staff in local clinics to work shift

Outcome: ____________________________

Shouldn't we instead educate the public on what is an emergency and what is not? The Star did a wonderful job of highlighting the trouble with ED. But surat khabar terlaris di Malaysia bukanlah The Star but a newspaper which features Lima remaja terlampau di Hari Kekasih as front page news.

It is not that I am malas to work shifts but are we ready for it? If we don’t have the capacity for it, don’t do it. If there are only 4 MOs, 3 nurses and 3 MAs in a clinic, can it be done? If the nebulizer machine keeps on breaking down with no funds to fix or replace it are we ready? We can’t just dish out short term policies all the time.

As a Malaysian citizen, I am worried about where our healthcare is heading to. If there are no long term plans and solutions, our healthcare system may crumble. More bright minds will migrate elsewhere out of frustration. Unless the minist....oops, HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED consider medical staff as assets instead of expendables (not the Arnold Swarzer-susah nak eja type) people will just leave when they get a chance to.

Just a thought, Sir HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED