Today is the 1st day of the year 2009.
How did all of you spend your new years day? For me it's no holiday as Kedah doesn't recognise the new year as a public holiday.
I ran my clinic as usual today with a hope of a better year for me and my clinic. Today most of my patients were having common cough and cold. A few have mild chest infection.
but one patient concerns me, the patient is about 60 years of age Malay man. He had been having cough for almost 2 months. There was no blood in the sputum. In fact he has difficulties in producing sputum. he also has a weight loss and hoarseness of voice.
He said that he had sought treatment in other clinics and hospital but not much improvement in his condition. He is more worried about his voice rather than his loss of weight. According to him, he had completed treatments that was given to him.
I examined him thoroughly and found little evidence to support my diagnosis. Or maybe i had missed something. I told him that he might have a pulmonary TB or even worse a malignancy. I tried to convince him that he needs a specialist examination and a full diagnostic to be made.
He said that he doesn't have the resources to go to see a specialist in a private hospital and he doesn't want to wait too long to seek treatment in a government hospital. So i prescibed a few types of medicine to him and asked him to come back and see me after a week.
These kind of situation makes me wish that all of us can have better healthcare treatment. without worrying about the cost or even worrying in how long it takes to see a specialist. I frequently ask myself in how to make things better for my patient and do more for them, but for the meantime i just have to make do in whatever resources that i can provide them with.
5 comments:
I'm so proud of having a best friend who is a very kind-hearted doctor in the peaceful Baling.
Keep it up, doc!
p/s: and thanks for the nice lunch we had at Sunway piramid last 'year'.
no prob la bro..
if last year lagi ramai, lagi best.
Well, at least Malaysia have gov hospitals. That old man chose not to go because he did not like to wait. I think that is a stupid excuse. Beggars cant be choosers. Dont be too hard on yourself.
This is a very sad story about your patient who cannot afford the best health care. Unfortunately it is a problem that is far to common. So unfair that many people in the world waste so much money on things that reduce their health, while other people do not have enough money to pay for the treatments that could improve their health. It must be a very frustrating situation for you.
salt N Turmeric
thanks, but i think we still should do something to improve our heathcare system. and that is through education. we are still lacking in that department.
Mandy
yes, i think we should make healthcare more affordable not just in Malaysia but in the world too
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