A doctor’s perspective

This refers to the article, ‘Physicians, heal thyself’ (July 16) by Dr Arshad Rehan. Many doctors have worked abroad and come back mainly for two reasons: to live with their families and to serve the people of their country. Monetary benefits never play a part in their return because they could have earned more while living abroad. If they have started earning money now in their home country it is because of years of hard work. Who else other than the doctors working in this system want reforms? I am a nephrologist and if dialysis machines are not working, if investigations like laboratory and radiology are not done on time in a hospital, am I responsible for all these things? I am responsible for my patients’ health. The problem starts when a patient needs a wheelchair or trolley; if he needs some tests there is no mechanism to guide him and if one is lucky and gets laboratory results then most often they are not reliable. Once a doctor prescribed them medicines there are chances that they would be changed with cheap and ineffective drugs.
The writer says professors and associate professors come on alternate weeks and that one professor of ophthalmology has not attended OPD for years. Even if this is true then who is to be blamed? If someone has worked in Peshawar he would have known that you cannot refuse admission because attendants of a patient start beating doctors with nobody to protect them. The government should improve diagnostic, ancillary services and bed management in hospitals. It should enforce the existing working time in letter and spirit. In addition it can also incorporate quality assurance and clinical audit to improve healthcare.
Dr Amer Azhar
Karachi