Without the White Coat
Consultations over the phone
This space had always pick some interesting titles and topics to discuss on, a little some of the controversies in the medical field with an added flavor of intrigue and slippage of the pen. This column had always been an advocate of fair medical practice whose main objective and concern is total patient care, letting and foregoing the "professional jealousies" and the Pilipino "crab mentality" among the medical practitioners in this city. For some that hated to breeze upon the pages of this paper or just a little peak on the columns had send some strong condemnation thru our email sites about my articles had shown that they too have read. Maybe in the past we have entirely addressed the medical issues that live among us and have indirectly made our own opinions toward it. There's a lot of touchy and critical issues we have to dwell upon, but for some medical society a hard and harsh pill to swallow. As a society or a college of medical practitioners we have see to it to guard our ranks that none that passed the diplomate examinations can be admitted in our prestigious, selective, discriminating and stereotypic "organizations", the basis of being accepted as a visiting staff of "some" medical institutions. Mind you the medical field had its challenges and now we are faced by hard times and choices in life for the financial survival of the "doctor". On its own we all tend to look for some avenue or "racket" in order have both ends met, then that's the life of the true-blooded Filipino doctor or physician, a reality that we have to live on, gone were the days that they were a few specialist, and the non-existence of a medical school in our community, but now we are face with three medical schools.
Before I go astray from the main theme of this article, I always wonder why Filipinos will always have an ambush consultations with there physicians or doctors in the middle of the street or malls, or some unique places. The weird thing now due the fast and progressive upswing of the telecommunications technology consultations are now done thru text messaging (SMS), maybe some can not call the main reason " wala ako load?" .Funny it may be ,but this is just an added attraction for the practice of medicine, we may have seen the world of tele-conference among physicians from different parts of the worlds and arriving to a solutions for some diagnostic dilemma. Consultations over the phone maybe acceptable for some physicians if they have the personal knowledge of the patient's case in a way they can foresight of there treatment outcomes. Consultations over the phone may be in-personal, but convenient for the patient on the fact that the patient doesn't have to pay for the consultation fee of the doctor.......labor of love or service to humanity?, the bottom line the physician did not get what he was trained for, maybe as Pilipino we have learned or have just got away from it that our doctors don't need the fee, which is wrong, remember my first statements doctors or physicians are all human beings or just a mere "common tao" that also have survive, to eat, to send his kids to school. to clothe them, to pay for there tuition fees, and to load there cars and vehicles with gasoline which doesn't come out that gasoline pump for free, considering that the price had hit the upper 30's. Sometimes when we turn our heads as physicians and doctors we don't know where the next meal will come from.
It may had been a bad and deteriorating image that "some" physicians had place upon the hearts and minds of our patients, that enormous and bloated "professional fee" which is beyond the comprehension of the ordinary mind, thus the doctors look bad, instead to be upheld my our patients in a pedestal or seen as demi-gods, we now loss the respect of our community. Let us do it all in the name of patient care, or maybe a questionable service to humanity, but it is always that caring human heart that will always make a big difference.
Medical consultations over the phone is just a big no-no, but for some patients it is a convenience and free.( We all have to remember in the hardest of time, there is always the "dole-out" system that exist, if possible if they can get away from it then fine, without paying any penny for it....medical consultation). It is hard to do a consultation and medical diagnosis over the phone, inaccuracy and making a big mistake in diagnosis is always high.
No more ambush medical consultations on the street, malls or some restaurants, just remember your physician and doctor have set aside his clinic with its corresponding clinic hours to accommodate you.