Morning shift. Somehow I tend to draw weird cases in, I'm a weirdness magnet, used to it.
Today's case are mainly severe, and all of us are out of critical beds, and again, people are demanding for beds. My Medical Officer told me, "No more showing mercy." No, this doesn't mean we are going to war. It means we have to be firm and stand our ground. If we do not have the proper facilities for severe cases, then we can't take anymore severe cases. Nothing is worse than crushed hope. I should know, I got my hope trampled on several times, this is why I never put my hopes up.
You know, people seemed to paint us as villains, especially during the MCO period. Sigh. No matter how many times we try to explain to them the reality, we get bombarded by "It's your duty to help the people!!!" Yes, we did, but at the same time, it's our job to be honest and direct with you as well, no going under table (It's Asian speak for being shady). We're bound by medico-legal ethics as well, so no funny business, because at the end, the responsibility is down to us.
Someone mentioned to me regarding the pandemic, that the rich becomes richer; the poor becomes poorer; and for us working middle class folks, we are caught in the crossfire, sort of. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after having some time to ponder while handling enquiries and calls, yeah, it actually makes sense, and come to think of it, most people who outright hurl verbal abuse at us were the middle class people folks, not all, but there are some. I was pessimistic, before that I used to be extremely optimistic, and it really taught me a hard lesson on how things aren't always just black and white.
How many times have we stressed that there is no fixed pricing in medical field? You know, I was tempted to call a clinic during office hours to query about a pricing, but I know how the answer is going to go like this: "Sis, you need to come for consultation first only then we can quote the price." I've been in this line for so long I know that it's futile, and it's silly, because if your condition is severe, prices are definitely going to go up. Remember I have severe acne breakout years back? I had a query asking about laser treatment and chemical peel for acne. Well, we definitely can't quote the pricing, because I have seen severe acne cases like those rock solid types, some that looks like hives, some that has pus oozing, this is why we said you need a proper consultation first as you will require several sessions at monthly, two months, three months (?) intervals, depending on the doctor and treatment given. One thing I learnt during my acne treatment was the doctor stressed to me several times, acne may seem like a small thing, but it requires a lot of patience, changing certain lifestyle and diet and not going to lie, some money on hand because the medication is expensive, even though they had chosen the most mild, effective treatment for me that is considered budget friendly (The initial few months really took a toll on my wallet but I'm glad because they are mostly cleared. Money well spent)
At least today there weren't many weird enquiries, but there's a lot of calls, not too hard to handle. I only get tired when some people called me and told me they have their vaccination appointment and were hesitating whether to go or not. Are you joking? You got your vaccination appointment after so many hurdles, please, I beg you, get your vaccine, don't wait. Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia has been sending us daily SMS updates on how you should not reschedule your vaccination appointment unless it is unavoidable, and I agree. Don't change your appointment just because you don't want this brand and you want this one instead. Please get vaccinated already.
Tomorrow is the last day of lockdown, which I'm worried, because we may need to extend again due to the cases still hitting high. Please, God, let this end soon.
*Today's case: 5,586 (I'm getting exhausted...)
