More about doctors being "abused"

Why treat housemen shabbily?

THERE has been so much hype on the tough life a houseman faces.

As a parent of a final-year student, l totally agree how depressing it can be for young housemen just graduated after a grueling five to six years of study – and not all are government sponsored – to be treated so shabbily that they would want to leave the service, no thanks to the system.

Even as final-year students, they are sent to hospitals and are kept on their toes for anything between 10 and 12 hours a day without a weekend off.

How do you expect them to study with the exams around the corner? Mind you, most students already decide to leave as soon as they graduate.

To make matters worse, the consultant comes in and verbally abuses those poor housemen who have been in the hospital for over 24 to 40 hours.

They are even called “stupid” and “donkey” in front of their patients!

It is really absurd to be made to work continuously in the most inhuman manner, depriving them of sleep and rest.

What irks me most is why aren’t housemen subjected to the same labour laws of the country as other civil servants – eight hours of work and overtime to be paid for on-call duty and a rest day in between calls?

Why is it so difficult for us to follow the foreign practice in which housemanship is for one year and subsequently, the houseman can decide whether he or she wants to continue or leave the service.

Come on, doctors need a life too!

R.K.S.,
Bidor, Perak.

Come on la makcik, get yourself a tv and watch ER, Grey's Anatomy, and all those dramas about doctor's life.