Not an easy job: Trying times for young doctors at govt hospitals
YDA members complain of shortage of senior doctors, security measures
YDA JPMC house officers' president Dr Khalil Khatri added that at times the doctor to patient ratio is between 1:10 and 1:15 at the hospital, which is the main reason behind such incidents of abuse. PHOTO: FILE/Nefer Sehgal/Express
KARACHI:
While in college, medical students dream of joining a professional, well-managed public healthcare system once they graduate. "This could not be far from the truth," says Dr Hira Pervez, a resident doctor at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
Talking to The Express Tribune, Pervez said the burden of shortage of senior doctors at JPMC, National Institute of Child Health and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases - all state health facilities - has been put on the young doctors.
Working on endless shifts at the hospital, which is almost always full of patients, becomes all the more difficult when doctors have to deal with patients' attendants who often end up quarrelling and misbehaving.
"Many times we have to work for over 12 hours, which is not practical," she claimed.
She narrated that during the first year of her residency at JPMC, attendants of an elderly patient who passed away slapped all three intern doctors in front of her and she was only spared because of her gender.
The general secretary of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) at JPMC and a resident at the hospital's ENT ward, Dr Yousaf Shah, claimed that the working condition of doctors in one of the largest hospitals in Pakistan is at its worst right now.
"We treat patients from all the provinces at this facility, even from Afghanistan, but what we get in return is nothing," he lamented. Shah also complained of attendants' thrashing and abuse of doctors. "However, we still examine and treat patients without any discrimination," he added.
He also complained of insufficient security measures to protect the doctors from visitors who turn violent.
According to YDA JPMC president Dr Yaseen Umrani, at times there are 80 patients in the ward with only two interns and a single postgraduate doctor due to shortage of doctors and, if any patient is not properly taken care of, in his or her own view, their attendants start manhandling doctors.
Umrani too stressed that it is the responsibility of the hospital administration to provide protection to doctors but they have failed to do so.
YDA Sindh president Dr Samiullah Gill told The Express Tribune that the government is insincere in resolving the issues of young doctors, including low salaries and mistreatment at hospitals. He claimed that young doctors are determined to serve patients at the public sector hospitals but the hospital administration and government should at least provide security to young doctors.
Guilty by accident?
Narrating another incident of attacks on doctors, a resident at JPMC, Dr Jaffar Khan Wassan, said, "I was working in the medicine ward when a patient with a serious condition passed away and one of his attendants slapped me." According to him, if anyone dies in the hospital then all the responsibility is put on the doctors. He believes that such incidents will continue to occur till the time the number of doctors is increased and lack of awareness among attendants is mitigated.
YDA JPMC house officers' president Dr Khalil Khatri added that at times the doctor to patient ratio is between 1:10 and 1:15 at the hospital, which is the main reason behind such incidents of abuse.
YDA Civil hospital president Dr Waris Jakhrani said doctors are 'over-burdened'. "If a doctor is supposed to tend to 20 and 25 patients, he or she is in fact examining more than 100 to 125 patients," he said, adding that in such circumstances, the doctor is obviously held responsible in case of any incident of medical negligence. Sometimes mistakes happen but no doctor wants to deliberately mistreat his or her patients, he assured.
According to the focal person at JPMC, Dr Javed Jamali, they have tried to increase security at the hospital. However, he also accepted the fact that shortage of senior doctors in the hospital is also one of the main causes behind such incidents since the young doctors are unable to cater to such a high number of patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2016.
While in college, medical students dream of joining a professional, well-managed public healthcare system once they graduate. "This could not be far from the truth," says Dr Hira Pervez, a resident doctor at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
Talking to The Express Tribune, Pervez said the burden of shortage of senior doctors at JPMC, National Institute of Child Health and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases - all state health facilities - has been put on the young doctors.
Working on endless shifts at the hospital, which is almost always full of patients, becomes all the more difficult when doctors have to deal with patients' attendants who often end up quarrelling and misbehaving.
"Many times we have to work for over 12 hours, which is not practical," she claimed.
She narrated that during the first year of her residency at JPMC, attendants of an elderly patient who passed away slapped all three intern doctors in front of her and she was only spared because of her gender.
The general secretary of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) at JPMC and a resident at the hospital's ENT ward, Dr Yousaf Shah, claimed that the working condition of doctors in one of the largest hospitals in Pakistan is at its worst right now.
"We treat patients from all the provinces at this facility, even from Afghanistan, but what we get in return is nothing," he lamented. Shah also complained of attendants' thrashing and abuse of doctors. "However, we still examine and treat patients without any discrimination," he added.
He also complained of insufficient security measures to protect the doctors from visitors who turn violent.
According to YDA JPMC president Dr Yaseen Umrani, at times there are 80 patients in the ward with only two interns and a single postgraduate doctor due to shortage of doctors and, if any patient is not properly taken care of, in his or her own view, their attendants start manhandling doctors.
Umrani too stressed that it is the responsibility of the hospital administration to provide protection to doctors but they have failed to do so.
YDA Sindh president Dr Samiullah Gill told The Express Tribune that the government is insincere in resolving the issues of young doctors, including low salaries and mistreatment at hospitals. He claimed that young doctors are determined to serve patients at the public sector hospitals but the hospital administration and government should at least provide security to young doctors.
Guilty by accident?
Narrating another incident of attacks on doctors, a resident at JPMC, Dr Jaffar Khan Wassan, said, "I was working in the medicine ward when a patient with a serious condition passed away and one of his attendants slapped me." According to him, if anyone dies in the hospital then all the responsibility is put on the doctors. He believes that such incidents will continue to occur till the time the number of doctors is increased and lack of awareness among attendants is mitigated.
YDA JPMC house officers' president Dr Khalil Khatri added that at times the doctor to patient ratio is between 1:10 and 1:15 at the hospital, which is the main reason behind such incidents of abuse.
YDA Civil hospital president Dr Waris Jakhrani said doctors are 'over-burdened'. "If a doctor is supposed to tend to 20 and 25 patients, he or she is in fact examining more than 100 to 125 patients," he said, adding that in such circumstances, the doctor is obviously held responsible in case of any incident of medical negligence. Sometimes mistakes happen but no doctor wants to deliberately mistreat his or her patients, he assured.
According to the focal person at JPMC, Dr Javed Jamali, they have tried to increase security at the hospital. However, he also accepted the fact that shortage of senior doctors in the hospital is also one of the main causes behind such incidents since the young doctors are unable to cater to such a high number of patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2016.