Post by hannali on Jan 12, 2011 19:47:01 GMT 3
DOCTORS MUST STAND UP FOR HEALTHCARE IN KENYA
It takes a lot of bravery, courage and strength to even attempt to become a doctor, Doctors are perceived and regarded as highly knowledgeable on issues pertaining to health. It is therefore odd to observe that many doctors are ignorant about their rights and wellbeing, hence we are perishing in silence with passion. The Health system in Kenya-Both Public and private is imperfect, We need serious resuscitation and rehabilitation of this mockery called healthcare in Kenya. The private sector may wish to behave like a holy cow or an island, how can it sustain itself without the public sector? Where will it dump patients whose medical insurance and fortunes it has milked dry? The accessibility, availability and more importantly affordability is beyond the reach of many doctors let alone Kenyans.
It requires a mega dose of prophylactic antidepressants for any human being to talk about healthcare in Kenya when doctors, other health professionals and patients have lost hope in their hospitals – spelling a serious crisis.
Many poor people would rather die prematurely with dignity rather than risking their lives in our hopeless hospitals.
The medical profession which I dare call the core of the entire healthcare system faces serious challenges
• Doctors are called essential service providers without essential treatment
• Doctors are overworked and seriously underpaid
• We are expected to save lives while killing the doctors
• Working under inhumane conditions
• Incompetent management
• Leaders who care less about the dying poor and their doctors but care a lot for political power and tenders (read - Kenya medical association (KMA))
• Contractors who make money doing shoddy work while putting peoples lives at risk
• Worst of all-Being denied the very basic equipments and life saving medication to respond to out noble calling to take care of the sick
A case to point is the Minister of Medical services boasting to the nation of accessing the best cancer treatment facilities in the United States while pitying the average Kenyan has to wait eight months to access any treatment at the single public cancer treatment centre in Kenya.
The plethora of challenges has pushed many doctors completely out of the medical profession begging the question if this was a missed call or a wrong number.
It is common practice-actually a fundamental prerequisite to enter the medical profession with an exit plan. Many dedicated doctors have given up and some have warned us that we will suffer the same fate. This phenomenon is known as “professional apoptosis” – self inflicted septic wounds that haunt the medical profession. The government has succeeded in dividing and ruling us. We are few in numbers yet we fragment ourselves even further-there is nothing wrong with diversity though but we ought to have a common goal and purpose.
Our selfishness and political ignorance tear us apart. We end up fighting against ourselves instead of facing our common challenges. We dismally fail to run smoothly even small things like departmental units. We constantly fight for supremacy among our disciplines.
We perpetually fight political battles with the government using poorly thought out medical, legal and scientific approaches and tactics that yield no positive outcomes at a huge financial cost and big failure while the supposedly dim witted politicians make a mockery of us and torment us with glee while we propel ourselves to commit embarrassing deeds and mistakes.
Time has come for us doctors to live up to expectations. It is said you can’t give something you don’t have. How can we give good health intervention to the nation when we ourselves don’t enjoy good healthcare?
We need to first unite in our diversity. It is only the medical profession that tears itself apart-teachers and other professionals do better. This has to stop!
We need to peak with one voice, move with one step and punch above our weight with our combined power. Unity is indeed power, If we are unified, nothing can defeat us be it our negotiating and bargaining power for better pay, better facilities, better working conditions, not even the lawyers who prey on us or the burden of disease that face us can triumph against us if we are united.
We will take back our medical profession if we are united
• First we must form our own medical union and leave the one that was led by selfish self servers
• Second we move out of our unfavorable bargaining chambers and negotiate our own salaries
• Third we explore health economics, why should doctors remain money making machines for others? We don’t even own the hospitals, medical waste management companies, drug manufacturing and distributing companies and many other business opportunities in health
The first step however is going to be the toughest: Building a united and powerful organization championing our interests without a compromise or failure
We should also bring back the professionalism that made us the envy of the world: punctuality, honesty, hard work, positive attitude, good work ethics, caring, excellent research acumen, constant reading, learning and teaching.
It doesn't make any difference to me which side of the government is sticking a gun in my face and taking the money out of my pocket then raping me, Doctors must take a lean, mean, vicious and ruthless attitude in combating a system that is riding on our backs and taking us for granted.
Revolution begins at an individual level, let us build unity in our wards, then take it to the departmental level, the hospital, district, region, province and national level
It takes a lot of bravery, courage and strength to even attempt to become a doctor, Doctors are perceived and regarded as highly knowledgeable on issues pertaining to health. It is therefore odd to observe that many doctors are ignorant about their rights and wellbeing, hence we are perishing in silence with passion. The Health system in Kenya-Both Public and private is imperfect, We need serious resuscitation and rehabilitation of this mockery called healthcare in Kenya. The private sector may wish to behave like a holy cow or an island, how can it sustain itself without the public sector? Where will it dump patients whose medical insurance and fortunes it has milked dry? The accessibility, availability and more importantly affordability is beyond the reach of many doctors let alone Kenyans.
It requires a mega dose of prophylactic antidepressants for any human being to talk about healthcare in Kenya when doctors, other health professionals and patients have lost hope in their hospitals – spelling a serious crisis.
Many poor people would rather die prematurely with dignity rather than risking their lives in our hopeless hospitals.
The medical profession which I dare call the core of the entire healthcare system faces serious challenges
• Doctors are called essential service providers without essential treatment
• Doctors are overworked and seriously underpaid
• We are expected to save lives while killing the doctors
• Working under inhumane conditions
• Incompetent management
• Leaders who care less about the dying poor and their doctors but care a lot for political power and tenders (read - Kenya medical association (KMA))
• Contractors who make money doing shoddy work while putting peoples lives at risk
• Worst of all-Being denied the very basic equipments and life saving medication to respond to out noble calling to take care of the sick
A case to point is the Minister of Medical services boasting to the nation of accessing the best cancer treatment facilities in the United States while pitying the average Kenyan has to wait eight months to access any treatment at the single public cancer treatment centre in Kenya.
The plethora of challenges has pushed many doctors completely out of the medical profession begging the question if this was a missed call or a wrong number.
It is common practice-actually a fundamental prerequisite to enter the medical profession with an exit plan. Many dedicated doctors have given up and some have warned us that we will suffer the same fate. This phenomenon is known as “professional apoptosis” – self inflicted septic wounds that haunt the medical profession. The government has succeeded in dividing and ruling us. We are few in numbers yet we fragment ourselves even further-there is nothing wrong with diversity though but we ought to have a common goal and purpose.
Our selfishness and political ignorance tear us apart. We end up fighting against ourselves instead of facing our common challenges. We dismally fail to run smoothly even small things like departmental units. We constantly fight for supremacy among our disciplines.
We perpetually fight political battles with the government using poorly thought out medical, legal and scientific approaches and tactics that yield no positive outcomes at a huge financial cost and big failure while the supposedly dim witted politicians make a mockery of us and torment us with glee while we propel ourselves to commit embarrassing deeds and mistakes.
Time has come for us doctors to live up to expectations. It is said you can’t give something you don’t have. How can we give good health intervention to the nation when we ourselves don’t enjoy good healthcare?
We need to first unite in our diversity. It is only the medical profession that tears itself apart-teachers and other professionals do better. This has to stop!
We need to peak with one voice, move with one step and punch above our weight with our combined power. Unity is indeed power, If we are unified, nothing can defeat us be it our negotiating and bargaining power for better pay, better facilities, better working conditions, not even the lawyers who prey on us or the burden of disease that face us can triumph against us if we are united.
We will take back our medical profession if we are united
• First we must form our own medical union and leave the one that was led by selfish self servers
• Second we move out of our unfavorable bargaining chambers and negotiate our own salaries
• Third we explore health economics, why should doctors remain money making machines for others? We don’t even own the hospitals, medical waste management companies, drug manufacturing and distributing companies and many other business opportunities in health
The first step however is going to be the toughest: Building a united and powerful organization championing our interests without a compromise or failure
We should also bring back the professionalism that made us the envy of the world: punctuality, honesty, hard work, positive attitude, good work ethics, caring, excellent research acumen, constant reading, learning and teaching.
It doesn't make any difference to me which side of the government is sticking a gun in my face and taking the money out of my pocket then raping me, Doctors must take a lean, mean, vicious and ruthless attitude in combating a system that is riding on our backs and taking us for granted.
Revolution begins at an individual level, let us build unity in our wards, then take it to the departmental level, the hospital, district, region, province and national level