No medicine why must pay?

From http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/
0,5562,381787,00.html?
SingHealth explains $4 charge

I REFER to Ms Tan Yee Nee's letter, 'Why levy fee to certify that child is free of disease?' (ST, March 30).

We would like to clarify that the $4 charged is not a levy imposed for certifying that a child is fit to return to school or to a childcare centre; it is a charge for consultation.

The doctor will review the child's condition to ascertain if he has recovered fully from hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). The doctor also checks that the child does not have any other health conditions, unrelated to HFMD, so that he can be certified fit to return to school or to a childcare centre. The second consultation ensures that sick children returning to school or childcare centre are well and no longer infectious.

We share Ms Tan's concern for patients from lower-income households and would like to assure her that we have a system to offer financial assistance to those in need.

We welcome Ms Tan to share any other concerns she may have with us, by calling Ms Janet Lau of Corporate Communications on 6236-7531.

Dr Tan Chee Beng
Chief Executive Officer
SingHealth Polyclinics

Now you see why people are clamouring about how expensive the drugs cost at private GP clinics? Singaporeans don't think they should pay for consultation!

I know it's old news and we have discussed this many times. But hey these are just nice reminders.

Funny how the timings of things go.....

Sometimes I find it funny when events happen that seem to go hand in hand with each other.

Yesterday I had that very bad patient. Well things did not turn out so good. Basically my boss has unhappy that I could not see her even though it was pretty clear that she was angry because she had waited so long to see him.

Also because the patient went out and kicked a fuss, the clinic assistants had a hard time also and were not happy.

I've bailed out the clinic assistants on a few occasions when they were rude to patients. And also dealt with obnoxious patients that they could not deal with. Who could forget the China Nationals who kicked up a big fuss outside because my boss had made an appointment to see them but later did not turn up! Plus they ridiculed the clinic staff for asking for a sample of human feces in broken mandarin! (Apparently it's not called Fen4, it's called Da4 Bian4)

Anyway I spoke to the China Nationals, explained, did my best to soothe things and everything worked out fine.

So it was sad, that I had no support from anyone at the clinic yesterday.

And then the Australians sent me that opportunity/possibility.

Well there are good days and bad days. But it is pretty lonely at the clinic. One reason is I'm a relatively new addition to the roster. The clinic assistants have worked here for 10-20 years! So it takes time. Plus they are women.

It's nice to know though that there are other options in life. The door is never really closed unless I want it to be. Do I want it to be? I'd rather not make a decision on that anymore. Leave it to God.

Perhaps God is telling me not to worry so much. Just leave it to him. All I have to do is to worry about today!

Silly silly silly....!

I just got an email from Australia about possibility of working in Perth.

"We have discussed, that there might be a good chance for your registration to work with us in Perth. The Medical Board in Perth doesn’t actually take any fees from you unless you get registered, so no loss there unless you are a winner.

As you know we run an after hours home visiting service in Melbourne and Perth. The work involves visiting patients of clinics that subscribe to our service.

The work is not very glamorous, but it pays a lot better than work in a regular GP setting. This is because the government rebates for patients’ services are a lot higher for after hours work. "

Anyway I think details are so sketchy and so uncertain. I have already moved on with my life. Signed for acupuncture course, wife going into teaching bond for 4 years.......

The devil is tempting me. The offer provides a car, housing, and air fare though.

What do you think?

I have attached information on the position available. Please let me know your thoughts.

Where got time?

Haha! I've realized I'm changing my mindset these days.

More bo chup and bo hue. Where got time? Manai wu eng?

Time to enjoy life liao lah. Fight so hard for what? Worry so much for what? Where got time?

Recently got inline skates for the whole family. Cost me about $750 for all the skates and protective gear for my 2 kids, wife and me. Ok lah. Went skating yesterday at the beautiful walkway besides the river just at my HDB flat!

Damn shiok man! This is the life!

In other news, just realised that out of the 3 new candidates that PAP announced, I have personally met 2 of them before. They didn't seem to be all that impressive to me before and neither do they look any different right now. I guess PAP is looking for more simple, down to earth type of people to join them. Or maybe they just can't find any better. Maybe I should start doing some grassroots work....waitaminute! WHERE GOT TIME?!!! Haha!

Concentrate on being happy better lah. Psycho myself Singapore is really very very very good place to live. Cheap comfortable housing with beautiful park by the river downstairs for a start!

I've never been happier for the past 3 years man! I finally see the light liao! YAHOOOOOO!!!!!

WHERE GOT TIME??!!!!!

5 lessons for the workplace : Lesson 2

A junior manager, a senior manager and their boss are on their way to a meeting.

On their way through a park, they come across a genie lamp.

They rub the lamp and a genie appears. The genie says, "Normally, one is granted three wishes but as you are three, I will allow one wish each"

So the eager senior manager shouts, "I want the first wish! I want to be in the Bahamas, on a fast boat and have no worries for a month! " *Pfufffff*, and he is gone.

Now the junior manager could not keep quiet and shouts, "I want to be in Florida with beautiful girls, plenty of food and cocktails for a month!" *Pfufffff*, and he is also gone.

Then it's the boss's turn, and he says calmly, "I want these two idiots back in the office after lunch"

Lesson 2 - "Always allow the boss to speak first"

5 lessons for the workplace : Lesson 1

A young executive was leaving the office at 6 p.m. when he found CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen,"said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young executive.

He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO, as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy."

Lesson I - Never, never assume that your BOSS knows everything

Graduate diploma in Acupuncture (GDIA)

I've signed up for the Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture course.

It's a new course for western medical doctors that the Singapore College of TCM has set up under a directive from MOH. It's for 1 year, 405 hours, and costs $8452.50

I enquired about learning acupuncture or TCM 3 years ago and was told that I would have to either do a full time 4 year course of part time 6 year course in Mandarin. That would put off almost all working doctors today!

So this course was a breath of fresh air. It couldn't have been timed better too, with my recent disappointment.

I've been reading a bit about acupuncture, accupressure, meridians, chi flow, yin and yang over the past 3 years on my own. And I must say TCM is pretty interesting. It's more philosophical and conceptual rather than chemistry, physics, biology science based if you get what I mean.

Anyway I'll write a few entries as the course progresses. It starts in May.

The main reason I am learning this course is for interest as well as to treat my family and friends and certain patients. It is not for money. The charge for acupuncture is about $10 per treatment. At least that was what the previous doctor who worked at my clinic charged her patients.

I wonder what uglybaldie would call this? More quackery? Another addition of letters to the back of my name?

I think of it as keeping an open mind, broadening horizons, increasing options and services to patients at a affordable price to them.

Lawyers have better starting pay than doctors

From http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,378686,00.html?

"Singapore lawyers know that their starting salaries are superior to those of their peers in other professions, including medicine. They also know that billing pressure is not as severe as in US firms."

Bryan Tan Suan Tiu

VS

Degree Universities conducting the courses Total Males Females
Number Employed2 Mean Number Employed2 Mean Number Employed2 Mean
($) ($) ($)
Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) NUS 65 2,296 43 2,320 22 2,250
Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) NUS 22 2,523 13 2,558 9 2,472
Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) NUS 186 2,711 142 2,769 44 2,523
Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) NUS 9 2,583 3 s 6 2,500
Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) NUS 140 2,489 109 2,498 31 2,460
Bachelor of Law/ Bachelor of Law (Honours) NUS 37 3,899 20 3,800 17 4,015
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery NUS 23 4,293 12 4,542 11 4,023
Bachelor of Science NUS 227 2,006 49 2,255 178 1,937
Bachelor of Science (Honours) NUS 76 2,513 32 2,766 44 2,330
Bachelor of Science (Building) NUS 47 2,090 20 2,275 27 1,954
Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) NUS 2 s 0 - 2 s
Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) (Honours) NUS 20 3,000 4 s 16 3,031
Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) NUS 51 2,132 21 2,131 30 2,133
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) NUS 131 2,487 35 2,957 96 2,315
Double Degree Programme SMU 3 s 2 s 1 s
Double Degree Programme (Cum Laude & above) SMU 14 3,339 11 3,636 3 s
Master of Architecture NUS 20 2,500 8 2,500 12 2,500


Notes : Source : NUS Graduate Employment Survey
1 Refers to monthly basic salary, commissions, overtime and any other allowances excluding bonuses. SMU Graduate Employment Survey
2 Refers to full-time permanent employed graduates.
3 Refers to 3 + 1 year optional honours programme.
4 Refers to 4 years degree programme.

I think I believe the lawyer who wrote to Straits Times better lah. Starting pay for doctors is definitely not $4k a month from what I know personally!

It's wrong not to recognise qualifications of some foreign doctors

It's wrong not to recognise qualifications of some foreign doctors

Read this letter by Dr Soon Boon Yi in the Straits Times forums :

The Straits Times reported on March 8th that the Health Ministry would recruit more medical specialists. It intends to increase the number of foreign medical schools that Singapore recognises from the current 71 institutions.

Do we really have a shortage of doctors or we are being short-sighted? There are many foreign-trained doctors who are not allowed to practise medicine in Singapore.

Well tell me what's new? It's the same all around the world. Immigrant doctors in Canada are driving taxis. While I agree this is not an ideal way to utilize our resources, the problem is not unique to Singapore. Having said that I agree we should make the pathway for foreign doctors to practise in Singapore more transparent.

They are qualified and experienced doctors. The reason they cannot practise in Singapore is that the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) does not recognise the universities they graduated from.

Again. This is a charge that can be directed against every first world country!

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan realises this is a mistake. The doctors we need are already in Singapore but we are pretending that we need to look farther to get them. Is this necessary?

What does Dr Soon mean by this? That there are many immigrant foreign doctors in Singapore who are unable to practice medicine? I was not aware that Singapore allowed foreigners to migrate to Singapore without finding a job. This is interesting. Or what does Dr Soon mean exactly?

In the USA, a foreign-trained doctor can take the USMLE examination and after three years of residency, they can practise medicine just like an American-trained doctor. Why is the SMC not operating like the US?

Well easier said than done. The USMLEs are on aspect of it. But it is not that east to get a residency position. Dr Soon makes it seem as if it is a breeze to be a foreign medical graduate and get to practice medicine in the USA. This is certainly not the case. For the USA, many foreign graduates end up working for FREE (yes FREE) in hospitals for 1-2 years to try and fight for a residency position. Not everyone can afford that luxury. The situation in Canada is no different. And neither is it for Australia. I can personally attest to this. So while Singapore should have an SMC exam, I see no reason why we should make it so easy for foreign doctors to gain full registration to practice in Singapore when their own countries do not make it easy for foreign graduates to practice there. As it is there are already foreign doctors working in Singapore. More below.....

Why is our medical system so rigid and not forward-looking? Could it be that the SMC is trying to protect the Singaporean doctors from external competition? Isn't it more beneficial for the patients when we have the best doctors to treat us? Doesn't competition give us the best doctors?

Again those charges can be made to all other first world countries! Dr Soon, please name me a first world country where it is EASY and SIMPLE for foreign medical graduates to gain full medical registration to practise?

Will the council come out with a complete list of the medical schools that it will recognise?

Russia has very advanced medical science and technology. The Russians have pioneered surgeries such as eyesight correction for shortsighted people and extension of human height by elongating the leg bones, etc. Why shouldn't the Russian medical schools be on the SMC's list?

Is language barrier for some of these foreign-trained doctors a problem? In fact, their foreign language ability may give them an edge over the locally trained doctors when treating foreign patients.

Not all doctors from well-known medical schools are good doctors, and not all doctors from not well-known medical schools are bad doctors. The list of foreign medical schools recognised by the Singapore Medical Council does not guarantee us anything.

We should have something like the USMLE to evaluate our medical doctors to guarantee our standard.

Dr Soon Boon Yi

Now I agree with Dr Soon's call for a streamlined system for foreign doctors. I don't think we should deny the deserving good doctors a place to practise in Singapore purely because they are foreigners. I feel many other countries should also open their systems.

However Dr Soon might want to note that there are already a number of foreign doctors practising in Singapore. We have numerous doctors from the Philipines, Nepal, Pakistan, and India working in hospitals and polyclinics.

I believe the driving force behing these schemes is more cost and money. The foreign doctors are paid very little compared to their fully registered counterparts. So one would say they are more cost effective. However I have heard from registrars of polyclinics that some of these foreign doctors do not even know how to manage common chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Of course at the other end of the spectrum we have eminent professors from abroad who have no problems getting full registration to practise and even head departments in our local hospitals.

This leads me to conclude that at the end of the day, MOH only wants 2 types of foreign doctors. The cheap ones and the damn famous and good ones. This is prudent of course if you consider the best interests for Singapore. However what is lacking I suppose is the transparency in the decision process.

Clearly the decision process has nothing to do purely with medical competency alone. So will we get our wish for a SMC exam? I doubt it.

By the way I would hope Dr Soon could clarify what is it that he is calling for? Bear in mind that foreign doctors are already allowed to practise in Singapore based on different criteria. Perhaps Dr Soon does not know this. Or does he have personal vested interest in writing this letter?

What's the price of hope?

I just realized that for many people who buy lottery, they are really buying HOPE.

For some the price is $500 a week. For others it's $1000.

I like it that I can say "I hope I can be a millionaire tomorrow" all for the low low price of $0.50!

Of course hope only lah. One cannot live on hope alone. Must plan for the future etc. That's all covered.

But it's important to have hope in life don't you think?

Anyway here are the numbers the computer picked for me yesterday

3, 5 , 10, 16, 31, 37
9, 22, 23, 27, 30, 44

Wish me luck!

Shocked!

Once in a while, I buy TOTO. I usually buy $1, $2, or 1 system 7 when I want to splurge.

Anyway today was one of those days I queued up to buy TOTO. The group 1 prize is 1.5 million for tomorrow's draw.

While I was in the queue I saw many familiar faces. Patients of my clinic lining up to buy lottery.

One of them was holding a $1000 note. Another was counting his money 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,.......$50 notes. And they were holding stacks of those lottery entry forms. STACKS!

I recognized a few of them who always tell me they got no money so please charge cheaper when they see me.

No money eh?

Ironically there is this new poster at the TOTO outlet that says things like

1) Only gamble what you can afford to lose.

2) Gamble for fun. Don't gamble to invest.

3) Gamble in moderation. You have to eat, drink ,bathe .......

Frankly I didn't see any of the ah peks and ah mahs reading the poster.

Oh well life goes on.....I hope I win the $1.5 mill tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Thanks to all out there who wished well!

Here's a big thank you to everyone out there who wished me well! Uglybaldie, flatfeet, grace, and several anons.

Yeah I know depression is a dangerous thing. I have a few relatives who have been or are still depressed. So I know what it does to you.

One of the things that makes depression worse is the anhedonia that comes with it. It makes people unwilling to do anything. Then the inactivity basically makes you do nothing but think about yourself, your problems. And then you start to feel sorry for yourself. And then you find that your life is all about being depressed!

So I know the cycle well and I know it's never good to be stuck in it. But I also think that one should grieve early. Let it all out. Acknowledge the sadness, disappointment and pain. Never try to hide it, sweep it under the carpet. Basically you still have to get over it. And then you can move on and say what's next.

Well for me "what's next" is I'm going to concentrate on my kids. For the past few years, Daddy had been too busy chasing stupid dreams. Now it's time for them to be the focus of my attentions. So my wife and I have been taking them to look at all kinds of classes tolet them try new stuff. It's been a welcome distraction.

As for work....well I'm getting the hang of it. This GP stuff. I agree, being a GP is not being a doctor. And I realize there's a lot of grey area, patronizing customers etc involved. I guess the trick is not to fight it. Just go with the flow. It makes life easier and you still bring home the bacon anyway.

I've got something lined up for me personally and it does not involve migration in anyway whatsoever. I just hope I'll be accepted because places are extremely limited. And you know how I am with counting my chickens before they hatch *wink*

My wife and I have taken up a new hobby. Japanese anime. I must say the stories are pretty well done. They also have interesting points of view of our world. While they are cartoons, they certainly are not made for the kiddy audience.

Any anime fans out there?

I'm not a doctor, not yet a GP

Sung to the tune of Britney Spear's: I'm not a girl, Not yet a woman

I used to think
I had the answers to everything
But now I know
Life doesn't always
Go my way, yeah...

Feels like I'm caught in the middle
That's when I realize...

(Chorus)
I'm not a doctor
Not yet a GP
All I need is time
A moment that is mine
While I'm in between

(Verse 2)
I'm not a doctor
There is no need to protect me
Its time that I
Learn to face up to this on my own
I've seen so much more than u know now
So tell me to shut my eyes

I'm not a doctor
Not yet a GP
All I need is time
A moment that is mine
While I'm in between

I'm not a doctor
But if u look at me closely
You will see it my eyes
This novice will always find
a way

I'm not a doctor
(I'm not a doctor don't tell me what to believe)
Not Yet a GP
(I'm just tryin to find the GP in me, yeah)
All I need is time (All I need)
A moment that is mine (That is mine)
While I'm in between

I'm not a doctor
Not yet a GP
All I need is time (is All I need)
A moment that is mine
While I'm in between

I'm not a doctor
Not yet a GP

This is a surprise to me.....

SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans die committing suicide than from traffic accidents.

This is according to statistics revealed at the 2nd Asia Pacific Suicide Prevention Conference which bring together experts from around the region.

An average of one Singaporean dies from committing suicide every day.

Even then, Singapore's suicide rates are one of the lowest in Asia.

But what is getting authorities worried is a rising trend of youths committing suicide.

Suicide rates among the elderly, on the other hand, have dropped significantly.

Dr Chia Boon Hock, Psychologist and Suicide Researcher, said: "The older people now are much better off. They have their HDB flats, CPF, they are married, not single, previously you had a old cohort where the elderly are single immigrants. For young suicide.. the level is steady, it is high."

Suicide is the second main cause of death among girls under 20 and the third among boys of that age.

Studies show that women are more likely to attempt suicide then men and in Singapore, most of the female teenagers who kill themselves do so because of relationship problems as well as study stress.

At the same time, psychologists also say that those who are single and unemployed are more likely to attempt suicide.

Between the year 2000 and 2004, the number of unemployed males killing themselves were 17 times higher than their employed counterparts.

The Health Ministry says what is important is that front-line staff like family doctors know how to identify signs that someone has suicidal tendencies.

Dr Alex Su, Head of Emergency Services at the Institute of Mental Health, said: "In Singapore, more than 50 percent of the people, if they were to end their lives, they would have left some form of message before that but unfortunately these messages were being ignored or not taken seriously.

"They may have made some arrangements to give away things that they had, or made some arrangements, as in after their death who will get what things, sometimes they may even release their pets.

"More importantly, they will leave some kind of suicide notes and these are very important things to note and should be taken seriously."

The Institute of Mental Health is currently running courses for family doctors to help them manage mental and suicidal conditions.

But psychologists say what is needed is a national suicide prevention strategy.

Dr Su said: "Depression is very treatable, you do not have to wait until depression evolves into a severe state, and all things around you have fallen apart, leading up to suicide.

Singapore has also launched a new website offering information and support from qualified professions for people who are depressed.

DepNet is a way for people to discreetly seek help and advice for their problems. - CNA/de

Wow! More young people dying because they commit suicide than accidents? That's quite sad don't you think?

God didn't give Adam much choice.....

I was thinking last night while tossing and turning in my state of insomnia....

God didn't really leave Adam with much choice as far as eating the Apple from the Tree of Knowledge.

We all know what happened after he ate the Apple on Eve's urging.

But imagine if he had said "No" to Eve. A pissed wife is not somethign you want to face with either!

Hell hath no fury like woman scorned!

The story behind my disappointment

Last year around the end of July, I was depressed. I was grappling with the reality of GP practice in Singapore. Realizing that patients wanted what they want rather than what I thought they needed as a medical professional. I had problems accepting it. My wife convinced me to go to Perth for a holiday. We went. At that time I never thought of moving to Australia because as far as I knew, Australia did nto want doctors.

When we returned to Singapore, we took a taxi home from Changi Airport. The taxi driver was telling us that he was an Australian PR. How he had sold his flat at the height of the property boom, bought a house in Perth and gotten his PR. His sons studied there and were now working. He was back in Singapore driving a taxi because he was bored in Australia. Now it was strange. But the taxi driver encouraged me to think of migrating to Australia. You guys know my views about Singapore.

Anyway I went home, opened the mailbox and there was the latest issue of the SMA newsletter. I flipped through the newsletter and there were 2 advertisements in it asking for Singapore doctors who were interested in working in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis. So I responded to the advertisements.

There was a prompt reply from one of them. They asked for my CV. I sent it. They asked me to rewrite it such that it reflected my GP experience. And I did. They got back to me and said that the state medical board had looked at it and said it was ok for me to make an application.

And thus the ball got rolling. I did my research on the locations. Where to stay. Cost of living. Procedure for taking the FRACGP exams, how to get full registration subsequently and how to then apply for PR after that was done. The recruitment company people were also very helpful. They were very efficient and answered all my queries promptly.

I had high hopes also that I could possibly start practising proper medicine rather than just pandering to the whims and fancies of people.

One of the requirements of the whole process was that I had to fly to Australia to visit practices and then sign with a clinic BEFORE formally applying to the medical board for processing. This was required by the state medical board. The recruitment company arranged for me to visit several practices over 2 days. I flew to Australia and made the visits. I was expected to pay for the airfare and accomodation for my trip. And I did.

I negotiated terms with a few clinics and signed with one of them in December. We had planned to submit my application in Jan 2006. And we did. And that's when trouble started.

Apparently because of the Dr Death case in Queensland, the press had been giving pressure to the medical boards. And the medical boards got spooked. So they started changing their views and criteria for foreign doctors wanting to work in Australia. At this very moment the word is still that they haven't made up their minds what they want to change or keep.

Anyway I asked when they would make up their minds and I was told, "Nobody knows. Australian beauracracy is a problem"

I decided to go ahead with the application anyway and get an answer. We had made plans and we needed an answer to be able to get on with our lives.

And so the answer came back as no.

Do I feel cheated? Yes. But I know the recruitment company did not set out to purposely cheat me. Do I feel that the system was flawed? Yes.

If there is one comment I would make. Having gone through the whole process, I think that the clinic visits and "interviews" with the clinic managers were but a formality. The real stumbling block was the Medical Board. Perhaps the process should be changed such that the medical boards approve the qualifications of doctors FIRST before asking doctors to fly all the way to Australia for the visits and interviews. The clinics would also be confident choosing candidates knowing full well that the medical board had already approved their credentials. So it works both ways. The medical board would also not lose any money from a loss in processing fees (it ain't cheap AUD$330) since they could still take the money and reject doctors from the outset. Perhaps the only downside is that Qantas, and the hotels would not benefit from these "failed" cases becoming their customers.

That way doctors will not face situations where they spend the time and money to go to Australia, do everything that is expected of them and then be told "No".

It was an experience for me. But a waste of my money and time in the end.
I lived with hope for the past 8 months. Now that hope is gone and I feel suddenly
empty and shallow again. It had been my crutch when I needed it. Now it's gone I
need to find a new one or learn to live without one.

Feeling depressed

I'm going into depression.

Hopeless. Failure. Loser. Idiot. Waste of time. Stupid. Bastard. Fucker. Shit. Asshole. Fool. Hate. Hurt. Pain. Torture. Destroy. Kill.

Those are all I keep thinking of.

Dr Oz bloke needs to change his name.

It's been confirmed.

My application to Oz has been rejected. So I won't be going to Oz.

Guess it's good that I've come to terms with doing the "good" things for patients in Singapore even if they are not the right things.

Message to patients all over the world

After having a discussion with angrydr at his blog, I decided to post this message to patients all over the world.

If you find that you like your doctor because he always tells you the things you expected and wanted to hear and gives you the things you expect and want all the time, it's more likely that he's NOT a good doctor. A good doctor should be disagreeing and lecturing you from time to time.

The problem is that patients judge their doctors using extremely flawed methods.

Dr Harold Shipman who killed 260 of his patients was said to be an excellent doctor and man. Many of his patients were shocked that he was a murderer.

So be careful what you wish for.

From
Profile of Harold Shipman: The killer doctor
"How could a GP who was trusted and respected by more than 3,000 patients also be a killer who struck time after time with no obvious motive?"

"Hard-working GP
Sometime later in 1977, Shipman re-emerged as a GP in Hyde. His new colleagues respected his work, although some felt he could be arrogant and patronising towards his patients. "

How to drive your doctor nuts!

It's been a slow morning and I am rather bored. So I thought I'd post a light hearted entry.

Some tips on ways to drive your doctor nuts!

1) Never answer your doctor's questions directly. If possible don't answer any questions at all. Just say something totally unrelated.
Example :
Doc : so is your cough productive?
Patient : I've got a bit of gastric upset also
Doc : Is it related to meals?
Patient : I'm a vegetarian.

2) Do the "people say..." trick. Example :
Patient : Is there anything I should avoid eating because of my wound?
Doc : Not in particular
Patient : But people say that eating prawns and seafood is no good.
Doc : Well if you feel more comfortable to avoid it then go ahead. But there's no real medical explanation why you shouldn't take prawns and seafood.
Patient : cannot be lah doc you dunno one lah. People say you know.....

3) If the doctor is kind enough to tell you "Feel free to give me a call if you have any concerns", give him a call EVERY MORNING and tell him all your problems eg boyfriend/girlfriend concerns, pet concerns, cannot decide what to wear concerns etc. I mean he did say to feel free to call him right?

4) Take note of what time your GP clinic closes. Come to the clinic 1 minute before it closes. If clinic staff make noise, tell them "Still got one minute, not yet close mah"

5) At every visit, criticize the appearance of your doctor. Example "Doc you gained a lot of weight hor?", "Doc you look very haggard", "Doc you getting more white hairs", "Doc you starting to get more wrinkles", "Doc you look very young, are you a houseman?"

6) Be super inquisitive. Ask your doctor what medicines he is giving you and criticize his decisions. Example
Patient : So doc what medicine you giving me ar?
Doc : I'll be giving you an antihistamine for your runny nose, cough syrup for your cough and amoxicillin antibiotics
Patient : what color is the antihistamine ar?
Doc : Yellow
Patient : I don't like the yellow one leh. What about the cough syrup? I don't like the black one. And the antibiotics is it the red and black color one?
Doc : Yes
Patient : Can I have the pink color one instead?
Doc : err....
Patient : So good to give me those medicine I want or not?
Doc : well if you wish to have them.....
Patient : but I dunno leh you the doctor mah.

7) Dispute the doctor's diagnosis and insist it is something more serious.

Example :
Patient : doc I got very serious skin problem
Doc : Hmm it looks like you are having urticarial patches probably as a result of some sort of allergy....
Patient : Cannot be allergy lah. Very very itchy you know
Doc : yes urticarias are itchy
Patient : My friend say it's "grow snake". Can give me the medicine to "kill snake"?
Continue by totally dismissing the doctor's diagnosis and insist on getting what you want even if he doesn't understand you.

8) Go with someone to see the doctor but also consult him for your own problems. That way you can get free consultation or two consults for the price of one. If you can get the whole ching gang to go together and consult him. Remember to only register ONE NAME at the counter. As for medicine, tell the doctor "Can just write all the medicine under his card can?"

9) Go into the room and tell the doctor your problem. If he asks you other questions, tell him to shut up and quickly treat you.
Example :
Patient : Doc I got very bad tummy pain. Quick give me an injection!
Doc : Where is the pain?
Patient : Why you ask me? You're the doctor you tell me lah! Quick give me the bloody injection now. Very pain!

10) If you have children, Instruct your child to tear apart the doctor's room when you go in with him. Play with the stethoscope, spill all the tongue depressors on the floor, drop the sphygmomamometer and fall off the couch while trying to climb it. Then tell the doctor "Your clinic room so dangerous one, see can injure my son!"