Emergency blog post. I have originally planned to lay off blogging for a while as I'm currently editing a ginormous manuscript, but the lengths of some people goes to...
Telemedicine = EVERYTHING
I'm not sure who put it out there that we handle everything. Our main service is to give you health advice, not to be at your beck and call. Unfortunately, most of the people seemed to have gotten too clever. They call our lines direct, meaning I can't tell what they are going to ask. In my mind, every phone call is important = emergency/ need help. I feel like moping when people call me to make an appointment with So-and-So because they couldn't be bothered. Seriously, why would I type an extremely long message for you with the doctor's clinic details and extension if you can't be bothered to call? I gotten a few phone calls with people being impatient telling me no one called them. Look, I can't predict the clinic timing, and sometimes the person on the other end could be busy. Furthermore, we are seriously short-staffed so sometimes I have to attend the much more urgent calls first. Appointment calls vs call regarding stroke. You do the math.
You Can Check My Appointment, This Means You Can Fix It For Me Too
Again, I'm not sure who puts this into people's mind. Of course the hospital system allows me to check your appointment, but asking me to interfere in the clinic schedule is going too far. How can you ask me to interfere in my clinic assistant's schedule? How would I know if the doctors have surgeries or not? This is the reason why we stressed so often, please call the clinic personally and query with the person in charge. No one is going to eat you alive, just a simple phone call and ask, "Can I make an appointment please?" And honest to God, sometimes I don't believe things in the website. Make a call to find out. (There was an incident where someone gave me a telling off because I "do not know how to do my job". I called the clinic personally to make an appointment. Once I had everything planned properly, the person claimed I didn't see my doctor's schedule in the website properly because by right they do not have a clinic tomorrow. This is why I called the clinic assistant personally to find out, don't believe the website, for God's sake >.<)
Everything That Goes Wrong = Our Fault
When you are in the servicing line, be prepared for this to keep on happening, no matter how much you tried your very best. I received a phone call regarding promotion and packaging. I didn't attend this person at first, but I received the phone call the next day and got yelled at because they were unhappy with the service because they are unable to get the person on the other end. Baffled, I offered the person if they would like to speak to one of the clinics who does this procedure, they refused and kept talking over me, demanding to find someone who will talk to them regarding the package. While I was calling the person in charge, the person kept ringing and yelling me to, "Don't bother wasting your time calling the number because no one is answering." Look, I get it that it seems odd, but after making several calls, I have managed to track down the person and did you know what they said, "We didn't receive any calls and messages at all. Perhaps they have called the wrong number?" Oh, Christ...
COVID Vaccines Are Out, So I Need To Get It
Indeed, some countries have started distributing the vaccines to frontliners, but until the Ministry of Health gave the green lights, at the moment we do not have it yet. We received calls from several people demanding that they are entitled to get the shot now. Hate to break it to you, but the first people who will get them are our Ministers and Cabinets, followed by the frontliners, then the people are susceptible to Miss Rona. So just hold your seahorses and just be patient, okay?
The Hospitals Are Terribly Unsafe
Haven't we been through this back in 2020? When you are sick, and your health is already in danger, you have to come to the hospital for treatment. I'm not trying to sound like a crazy person, but why delay when you are already in so much pain? I received a call from a person to rule out a diagnosis and they were scared to come to the hospital because of Miss Rona. Um, if I'm in severe pain, Miss Rona or not, I will go to my doctor immediately. Please don't play with your health here.
Teleconsult = I Don't Need To Come To The Hospital
This depends. Most doctors would prefer if you come face to face so that they are able to assess you. Safety is one thing to consider, but the reason why the doctors wants you to come is so that they are able to thoroughly assess you and run the necessary tests needed. If someone is having a spine problem, how can they assess through the webcam? With the jerky movements, poor wifi connection and the constant breaks (My side, a lot). Maybe for follow up cases it's still fine, but if it's a new or complicated case, please make an effort to come at least, just for one consultation. Please?
Going to Emergency Means Shorter Waiting Time
Not necessarily. This is a common misconception. I've been to private and government side for treatment, and the waiting line is always long. Now with Miss Rona on the rise, Emergency are flooded with the sudden rise of cases. Furthermore, why would I go to Emergency when my condition is not severe? Emergency Department care usually reserved for severe cases like traumatic and life threatening cases. Fever? Unless it is dengue and your platelet count is dangerously low.
If This Country Does This Procedure, This Means We Do It Too
Different procedures varies on different countries. I know some countries does transgender surgical procedure, remove your ribcages to give you that perfect waistline, implant radiation seeds... In Malaysia, it is against our law to do a transgender surgery. The only treatment we do give is hormone injections as per prescribed by the specialists. I know America does it, my colleague says Singapore does it as well. Just because they do it, doesn't mean we do.
I Only Want To See ONE Doctor
I got a phone call from someone who claimed they have so many problems ranging from different parts all over the body. It is technically impossible to see just ONE doctor when you have so many issues. The person claimed also claimed that I am money-minded, I just want to help you solve your problem, but we need to be realistic here. I can't just send you to ONE doctor and expect everything to be solved when you have so many places which have issues. For me, I only have a knee problem so I go to the bone doctor, problem solved. But you... Jesus Christ. If that's the case, I don't think we need specialize fields for area of expertise then.
Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should
This applies to everyday life. Yeah, technically you can walk in but then do not complain if the waiting queue is long. Especially government side. I always tell people, if you are heading for government clinic, just make sure you take a day off, pack some food and snacks cause it's going to be a long while. You could say the same for private side as well. That's why people often carry coffee cups and snacks with them. I like carrying some small snacks, water and my books.
You Should Know Everything
I don't know everything, I had to do countless research and ask around a lot. A doctor joked with me that if human beings know everything, then we are not human anymore, we are Gods. I make effort to try find out things for you so that I'm able to help you a little, but I received a phone call regarding about lab tests and the person was rude, telling me that I'm wasting their time even though I offered politely to find out the info and get back to them. Oh, why??? It's not like I brushed you off. In the end, I got one of the lab staff to help out and they took over. Crisis averted.
Take Things With A Pinch of Salt
This also applies to everyday life. A colleague came up to me and told me the doctor has no clinic despite they are on call. I know this doctor very well, having worked with him previously for a while. I told my colleague to just give a casual call, but they were hesitant, so I ended up calling. I was lucky, the doctor was accepting patients and they took the case immediately. I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet but I told my colleague when in doubt, always give a casual call and find out, because you don't want to give the wrong info and lose a potential case.
And now back to my editing, with rock music blaring in the background. Happy 2021.
*Today's case: 3,027 (In James Marsters Spike's voice, bloody hell)
