We are already a year plus into the pandemic, and the phone calls that comes in can be baffling... I didn't even plan to post this because my arm and ear hurt from the constant phone calls (and because I needed a break from the constant posts), but I need to get this off my shoulders.
Vaccine Shopping
Pfizer, Sinovac, Astra Zeneca...
Lots of decisions to ponder,
Either way it doesn't matter,
As long as you get your jab...
You can see I didn't take any creative writing courses....
Cancelling Your Vaccination Appointment Unnecessarily
I said it once, I said it again, I'll say it till you get tired of me. Unless it is necessary, don't cancel your vaccination appointment unnecessarily! You got it at your finger tips, and you cancel it because "I do not want <insert brand>, I want <insert brand>" People are already dying because of covid, it's important to get vaccinated, because that way, you have at least a layer of protection. Stop choosing and get vaccinated! Please, I'm begging you, unless it is due to unfortunate circumstances, then yes, you can change the appointment.
Fully Vaccinated Means I Can Ditch The Mask And I'm Safe
No, you may not ditch the mask. It is still compulsory, practice your SOP and stay safe. Vaccine is a layer of protection, it's not a 100% cure. And no, don't travel unnecessarily as everywhere covid is on the rise again.
Covid Enquiries
It can range from many things, but the most common one I get is "Difficulty in breathing" / "Shortness of breath" / "Saturation level is less than 90%" CALL 999 OR HEAD TO THE NEAREST GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY! But - but - I don't want the government. For God's sake, the patient is in severe condition and you still don't want to call 999? Which also brings us to -
I Don't Like The Government Sector
"Service is awful" / "No one cares about me" / "Food is terrible" I wish to transfer out immediately. You have to help me. Do you realize...that you are lucky to even get a bed? I have patients who really requires bed, and they can't get any due to the congested cases. I have patients who lost their lives because of covid because they couldn't get treatment on time, and you want to transfer out because the service is bad? Everyone is fighting for the pandemic right now, and there's a huge shortage of staffs that everyone is burnout, and yet you are making a fuss just because the service is bad? It's not even that people were neglecting them, when I query further, it's mainly about hospitality... The food is terrible part irked us to the point where my Medical Officer went into a launch telling that everyone is trying their best to survive and they wanted to transfer out because of the food. You can't even transfer out because everywhere is FULL. Oh, and the government choose you. You can't just waltz into the government hospital and demand for a bed, they choose you.
Since we're here, is private better than government? The answer is they are equally the same. For certain things, I go for the government, because not everyone can afford private healthcare. When I went to the government sector for scaling, it cost me around three ringgit. If I go to private sector, it cost around hundred plus. The only thing is...in government you have to wait for a long time, and most of the time you are not allowed to negotiate. That's the only one thing about government, otherwise, I can say their treatment is on par with private.
Fake News Circulating
We kept getting news that the vaccines are fake, that it is just water, and that empty syringes are being jabbed. Need I remind you again that spreading fake news is damaging everyone's reputation and business. Everyone is already mentally drained, stop making things worse for us and yourself... Get away from social media, and if you see a news that looks suspicious, verify with the source first instead of spreading it all around. I'm glad a local family owned business is filing a police report due to defamation and slander, because it seems that people who spread fake news think it's funny or that they can get away with it.
Using the Emergency Line as Your Own Personal Hotline
I don't know how many times the emergency phone rang that I drop everything and run to attend to it, because it is what it is stated. It is an emergency line, it's a matter of life or death, but every time when we answer it, people called us for the most mundane of things. It got to a point where I got annoyed and I told one person firmly, "We'll call you through our landline, kindly do not call this line because it is meant for emergency only." Till this day, no one seems to get it.
We Should Know Everything
Yes, every nook and cranny, like what's going on in the operating theatre, the wards, other hospitals etc etc. Sorry, we do not. This is why you need to call the respective departments or hospitals. You are not going to call a McDonald's to order pizza right? When I was in the wards, or as a patient who is hospitalized, there is something call ward orientation, meaning we explain everything from A to Z, regarding the bed controls, the TV, the storage vault, the washroom, the call bells, do and don'ts, fall prevention, everything. Once we explain everything, you need to sign the paper as acknowledgement that you understood. If something is going on in the ward, you use the call bell to call for help. Why would you call us??? It's the same for surgeries. You can call the landline and ask for the operating theatre reception counter to ask. We don't have access to the operating theatre system.
Can You Give Me The Doctor's Personal Mobile? It's Very Important
The answer that we will give till the end of time is a big NO. No one sane is going to give you the doctor's personal mobile. You need to call through the general clinic extension and ask for them. From experience, once you give your personal mobile to a patient, they are going to hound you even when you're not on duty. If the doctor is the one who personally gave their mobile, then there's nothing we can do about it, but we'll never give it out.
Appointment(s)
Please call the clinic directly to make an appointment. I find it so weird to go through six, seven different channels just to get an appointment. You want to make a reservation at Chili's? Call or email them. You want to see Dr Moustache? You call their clinic directly or email, if you are able to. You want to find out if Popular Bookstore have your favourite books in stock? You call or email them directly. Sorry, I went a little off track. The point is.. if you want to make an appointment (or something), go directly to the source. If you can't wait, the emergency is open 24 hours.
Overseas/ Outstation to Get Covid Treatment
Most of the time patients are already between life and death, yet they still ask to seek help far away. When it comes to life and death, seconds counts. Head to the nearest healthcare facility or call 999. You're not going to travel down for 6 hours to get help. It's not logic, and you risk spreading covid everywhere. Most places have basic healthcare facilities and decent hospitals, don't tell me that there's none, even our rural areas have at least one or two.
I'm so tired... Most of the things are repetitive, but it seems that people are unable to comprehend what we're trying to say. Stop calling us heartless monsters, or asking us to burn in Hell, we're trying our best to help everyone, and sometimes we're too late to save people. Just because we don't say it doesn't mean we are okay.
*Today's case: 10,972 (We can get through this...)
Source: A Delusional Review of My Proton Wira, published by Jason Leong on 17th February 2020
Oh doctor...
