the code, the oath.....

I still recalled the day I took my oath, even though I could not remember what I had recited but could still remember the rule of do no harm….

Well, few months ago, an O+G specialist had posted in a line group regarding a case. A 34 weeker in labor had presented to ED and he was consulted. The Os was fully opened and the O+G specialist had decided to transfer the case under the ground of preterm.

The case was initially referred to a hospital nearby with 24hrs labor capability that is 30 mins away from the ED. The referral was denied on enroute as the on call pediatrician refuse to accept the case. The ambulance had however detoured to another tertiary facility further up north.

The specialist had later shared in the line group:

The driver had competently driving the ambulance fast and steadily.

The accompanied nurse had done her job of pacifying the patients…

Most important, the patient had done her best withholding the delivery…..the baby just popped out minutes after their arrival in the receiving ED….

I grinned and mumbled, “WTXXXk”…..well, should have delivered the baby rather than took the chance doing a transfer. What if the child decided to come out on the ambulance and really had need a resus and intubation…

Another orthopedic surgeon I knew had involved in a fight with his local neighbor after a “you should let my car pass through first” incident. He was walloped by a few residents and later he told the ED that He would not see any referral patient from the neighborhood. Totally unacceptable situation…

I presumed they had forgotten the oath and the rule of DO NOT HARM…. Violation of the code of conduct and knowledge we had taught, it is still a Noble profession ? well, I had recently read the blog of Dr Pagavalan….he had quoted what the founding dean of UM, Tan Sri T J Danarj, said “ The day the medical education is commercialized and medical practice is commercialized, that’s the day prostitution of medicine starts”.

Can’t agree with him no more, I had quotas , KPI and other indexes to meet apart from providing care to my patients….

As for the prostitute part, I had always told my nursing colleagues,” I am nothing better than those ladies standing beside the wall( a Taiwan synonyms of prostitute), at least they got to finish their meal before seeing their client….. I can’t, I need to put down my spoon and fork whenever you girls called me, or else you would keep ringing the phone every 20 seconds….”