To Err Is Human

To Err Is Human, To Forgive is Divine.

Recently our DG of Health made a statement regarding the discovery of doctors in malaysia suffering mental illness. Reaction from the statement surprisingly hasn't come much from certain quarters. Mostly readers would comment on the issue through the Star Reader SMS.

It is said that these doctors got through the medical school due to the selection criteria is not strict enough. I wonder if you are really sick or a 'sicko', can you pass the medical school in the first place before you start your work as a Houseman in the Government Hospitals?

Are they really sick in the first place or are they couldn't cope with the hectic life and the ultra -pressure working as a houseman? It is not easy working as a houseman in Malaysia. but, i am proud to say that i have managed to get through it. Even though technically you can't be blame if you made a mistake in managing patients but the truth is that you WILL get blame by your superiors if something goes wrong. You just have to accept the fact that you are a slave to your work, to your patients, to your staffs and to your superiors. As my lecturer once said, 'houseman is the lowest lifeform in the world".

Houseman will start working as early as 6 am sometimes as they have to see all patients before the MO's and before the Specialist's come to do their rounds. They then would go for oncall for 24 Hours and later continue their work the next day until the evening sometimes. The total working hours could reach until 36 Hours or more. They have to remember that doctors are humans too, and to err is human. In the US now they are trying to reduce the number of working hours. It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to understand that the longer you work with minimal rest, the more chances that you might make a mistake resulting in Medical Negligence.

I am not trying to discourage people from taking up medicine, but sometimes it is just not fair trying to blame these doctors that suffers from these illness. You have to look both ways, from the doctors and also from the system itself.

These are my view regarding this issue, i still think that the medical profession is a noble profession. It is not about glamour nor about self-pride. It is about helping people. Amin....