Live life to the fullest!

MEDICAL SERVICE: We need happy, healthy and alert housemen

by SUE THOMAS, Kuala Lumpur - NST


LAST week, I chanced upon a copy of the May 2009 issue of the medical fraternity's MMA News . The cover of the journal was titled "Government doctors -- modern-day slaves".

I was pleasantly surprised to see an article on housemanship inside -- "Housemanship training in Malaysia" -- by the Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican.

This was, in fact, his keynote address at the First Seminar on Housemanship Training in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and Britain in Kuala Lumpur on April 25.

He revealed findings from a recent study on housemen in 28 government hospitals: "Two-thirds of them (67.8 per cent) found housemanship training highly stressful and 53 per cent of them had sometimes thought of quitting because they could not cope with the stress. "The highest level of stress was related to working hours and workload. Thirty to 40 per cent of them never had time for social or recreational activities. 21.8 per cent required counselling and 5.8 per cent needed treatment".

If more than half the medical interns had sometimes thought of quitting, and a quarter of them were in need of medical counselling or treatment, imagine how stressful their working conditions must be. The health minister should take this study's findings seriously. There are not enough doctors in Malaysia, hence we cannot afford to lose them even before they have completed their housemanship. The minister must have the doctors' best interests at heart and should take care of them. They should be healthy, happy and mentally alert to perform efficiently. It is, therefore, only logical that there is an immediate revamp in our archaic, unhealthy and hazardous system of housemanship. Only then can we, the rakyat, feel safe in the hands of government doctors.

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Sometimes I am sick of reading lots of articles or comments or opinions regarding doctor's job. Most of the people outside don't really know or understand how we work, how big the pressure, how tough the life have been so far. They keep on commenting, and pushing the doctors to fulfil their needs.

In my life, so far, I've never regret for being a medical student as I know this is where my enthusiasm goes. I love science and human being. I don't really like numbers and physics. So that's how I start to think that medical field will be my future. Inshallah.

But you know, things sometimes change towards the end. As sometimes bride-to-be always being confused or uncertained at the night of solemnization, thinking whether the wedding should be proceed, whether she met the right man, whether that man really loves her. So am I. But of course I am not at the night of solemnization. (chuckling :p)

In fact now I am on my way finishing my final year MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery). To feel kinda uncertain, kind of doubtful - I think it is weird, but after having a pillow-talk with my housemate, I know I am not alone of thinking that way. She feels the same like mine.

Quoting what Dr Husam had said before during the clinic session,

"Doctors die earlier because of stressful life. That's why we have to entertain ourselves by entertaining patient and make them laugh.

((I love to see how he works. Once a patient came to see him and asking for Omeprazole. After a couple of second he said, "Ok, I'll give you 'Ome-prazole'. but I dont have 'Abu-prazole'". Haha. Then we laughed. (Umi and abu = Mama and papa). He kept doing jokes to the patient. Even hundred of frowning patients enter the clinic, soon they will at least smile to the doctor before they went out of the room.))

I kept thinking on my way home at that day. Why I should be here? Am I going to live in a hectic life throughout the ages? Facing sick people, sad faces, cries, death, everyday? Am I?

All of these kept swimming on my frontal lobe, what will happen with my family? My kids? Am I able to teach them reading quran every nite, checking their homeworks, bring them for holidays. Am I able to carry along also the resposibility for the Muslim society? Am I able to do that when I am already being a doctor??

Then when it comes to the solution, i hit myself with this question back. "If others can, why wont you?"

I have met a lot of muslim doctors who had succeed in their career, life and dakwah. These boost my energy. I should be like them. Whatever comes, I need Allah to strenghten myself, my spirit, and my hopes. If we could bare all the difficulties for the past 5 years for being a med-student, why not for another part of our life? We''ll rise to the challenges.

Inshallah, this will be my destiny. There will be no turning back and we will live life to the fullest!!!