We are losing our orthosurgeon by the end of the months... when Lem broke the news to me, I immediately asked him if it is due to the adjustment of Operating time. 2 weeks earlier, our superintendent told us that all surgeon would need to start their surgey in the morning. Our orthopedic surgeon X starts his surgey at noon and his OPD usually commenced late in the afternoon. He came to work by 11am and go off by 8pm. It was a part of the condition when he was hired. However the management think this affect his OPD work and the OR was not occupied in the morning(waste of manpower of coz). So a decision was made. When I heard the news, I thought X would be displeased as it disrupt his locum as well.(The hospital agreed for him to do locum in other hospital in the past...).
Lem said no and told me that the consulting firm had irritated him and he decided to leave. This was the first time I heard about the 'consulting firm'. Lem proceeded to update me with what was going on in the hospital. Appearantly the hospital had engaged with a consulting firm months ago. Those office ladies who wandered around in the management office were staff from the firm but I had mis-understood that there were experts to help us with the hospital evaluation. In fact they are here to 'help' the hospital to be more effiecient (more profitable in a sense).
After probing in and out, I finally got the full picture. The hospital had signed a long term contract with the firm aiming to re-shuffle the hospital. A few units had been interviewed by them and their assignment was re-defined a.k.a more job added.
I had chatted with our nephrologist after Lem told me the news and he told me that he was being affected as well.
The atmosphere was bad for the next few days. I was called by the management and assigned some extra works but however there was a small cash reward for me doing the job. But I knew the rewards was a small piece of a big slash of somebody else.
Lem and I had discussed over the incidence. He felt he is gonna be next on the list.
I was one of the victims months earlier but I did not know it was the masterpiece of the firm. I had a meeting with our Deputy Superintendent(admin) during the absence of Ving. I asked for an adjustment of my working time to look after the kids and he had told me that he had been underpressure for sometimes and it was about time for us to do so. The management had asked him if he could cut down the overlapping working time of me and Lem. When I came back to work, the management had wanted me to cover for the ICU and put some patients under my service- I worked from noon to noon (24 hrs shift) from Mon to Thr so that I could be present in the daytime for my ward job. However later they felt that it was a waste to let 2 doctors who had similiar function working at one time. One of us must work less
So I gladly complied and I lost 3 hrs of working time per week. (a 3-5 % cut of working time and pay). However, I had still 7 hrs/wks of overlapping working time with Lem. We thought this should be their next target. Lem had his own disturbance as well - the management had been eyeing to restructure his pay/tax scheme for a long time....
Up till now, we had lost our Orthopedic surgoen and our Deputy Superintendent(admin) is at the verge of leaving (rumors said that he had passed on his resignation). If Lem is touched, I think he would be moving as well....as Lem had said - no one is irreplaceable. I am not that passimistic at the moment but prepared to face the worst - lower of pay per hours and a switch of commision scheme.
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