Who wants to be a doctor? I do.
I always like reading articles like this they make interesting reading especially if the topic concerns you. I truly agree with all who have written below those making points for the Nigerian trained doctor who is surely frustrated by the effort to make ends meet in a society where he is not only not recognised but continually made to feel that the years he spent studying medicine are a terrible waste of time.
To my fellow dokitas it will surely get better why else would i answer the question in the affirmative, I have a dream.......................................... to those with the gift of dreams and their interpretations please dream good dreams about the medical proffesion and may they come to pass. AMIN
Who Wants to be a Doctor?...(2) The Verdict according toOlusegun Adeniyi, Tel& Email: (08055001980) olusegunadeniyi@ thisdayonline. com, 03.14.2007 The two main contenders for presidency do not believe in the medical system they helped in contriving! What then is the moral justification for seeking our mandate? Perhaps we should insist that they promise to send every sick Nigerian abroad for proper medical attention!The foregoing text message sent to me by a pastor speaks volume about the state of affairs in our nation today. Because within a spate of two weeks, both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice President Atiku Abubakar have practically passed a vote of no confidence in our healthcare delivery system. While Yar'Adua went abroad to treat what has been described as "minor catarrh", Atiku went for surgery on his knee after a "mild knock" in the course of physical exercise. When I began this series, Who Wants to be a Doctor?, two weeks ago, it was brought about by the threat of doctors in public health institutions that they would down tools over reduction in their wages in the name of a review. Fortunately, the strike has been suspended but the real issues remain. The central plank of my piece is actually on the reward system that more or less puts those who save lives at the bottom of the pyramid but it seems to be a universal phenomenon though nothing excuses the neglect of the health sector in our country, an issue that has to be addressed. I have heard all sorts of arguments as to why affluent Nigerians would rather go abroad when they have headache than seek medical attention here at home and I refuse to be swayed by most of them. The simple truth is that it is part of the larger malaise in which we all believe we can kill the public system simply because we can afford to send our immediate family abroad. That is why public education has gone to the dogs, the same thing we are doing to healthcare. This is one serious agenda that would have driven this campaign, given the Yar'Adua/Atiku misadventure, assuming we are running an electoral system based on issues. But such hardly matter here hence the moment is lost. But it is important that we keep the issue on the front burner so the next elected government will have to do something.Aside providing the basic infrastructure for the health sector, an issue we would still need to address, that of commensurate remuneration has become a major concern if our doctors must stay in this environment to practice their trade. We must stress it for those who aspire to rule us that in today's world, three of the key indices for measuring the prosperity of any nation are security, healthcare and education and Nigeria is failing on all counts. And part of the problem in these key areas remains the warped reward system.Incidentally, the first part of the piece provoked a deluge of responses from Nigerian medical practitioners from all over the world. Most of the contributions are so compelling that I am tempted to forward some to the Health Minister but that would be assuming he already doesn't know about the problems. For the purpose of this column today, I have picked two letters here to drive the point home. The first is to show that the problem is global while the second localises it and puts our situation in its proper context. While I end this intervention with the two letters, I need to point out that a career in medicine still remains a noble choice for those brilliant enough to make the grades and would still recommend it for qualified students in the sciences. There are, however, basic issues we must address, especially in our country, if we are to join civilised societies who take the health of their people very seriously. Right now, we don't. But in concluding the piece I tend to have raised more questions than answers. I just leave the readers to pause and ponder.I have deliberately withheld the name of the second writer but the first is by the United Kingdom-based Prof. Femi Oyebode, Head of Department of Psychiatry at the University of Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital who also doubles as the Chief Examiner, Royal College of Psychiatrists and a Research Fellow at the Centre for West African Studies at the University of Birmingham. A respected medical practitioner of 30 years, Oyebode's letter is instructive:------------ --------- ------Dear Segun,I very much enjoyed your article on doctors. You certainly captured the current tensions in the profession by your use of letters. The problem with medicine is at present worldwide. Our students require a minimum of 2As and a B to get in and the work is tireless for five years. Postgraduate medicine is now mandatory for all doctors, even GPs have to train to be specialists. Yet, remuneration is modest and job satisfaction is questionable because of the changes in the work environment. This is an international problem. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a paper out that argues that governments are trying to undermine medicine as a profession. Whatever the case there is little doubt that for a young doctor the stresses are tremendous and the motivation to continue to do this work, which can only be described as noble, must be internal and self-generated. This year I have been a doctor for 30 years and the privilege of serving others has been fulfilling and continuallymotivating. But, even I now ask whether I can in honesty advise any young prospective student to take up medicine. Such is the state that the profession is in.--Femi Oyebode------------ ---Dear Segun,First of all let me give you my own story which is what most of us who are doctors in this generation went through. When I got into the university to study medicine I had stars in my eyes, believing I was well on my way to contributing my quota to improving the lot of mankind especially in my country. Along the way I had quite a number of mishaps. First, I had to repeat two years because I failed two exams and of course ASUU took its own pound of flesh. In all this most of us had somehow started regretting why we went into medicine but we still held on believing that we were doing what we desired and would make it at the end. I agree with you when you say no matter the country doctors are not treated any better. But in Nigeria our situation is unbelievable. When we finally graduate we are meant to do one year housejob which is also known as internship. At this stage you are a full fledged doctor although still learning the ropes. Before I graduated it was relatively easy to get a place to do housejob, afterall house officers are so hungry to learn that they are popularly referred to as the 'househelps' in the hospitals. By the time I graduated, however, you had to lobby to get a place and even when you do get a place you may not be paid at all for the one year spent because some people in authority will say that 'we have employed more than we need so we are only helping you.' The next stage determines how many will continue. We write qualifying exams called primaries once you are ready to become a specialist. Then you need to get a place to do your specialisation known as residency. Of course if you do not know anyone you will have to fight tooth and nail to get into a place or as it happened to many, they just throw in the towel and move on to something else!This is what has happened to most of us. There are those who have taken other career paths. Two of my friends work for Zenith bank. I have a friend who just came back from England a doctor. She works for one of the so-called big hospitals where she earns N60,000 per month. She takes calls four times a week. I tried to get a job in (name of the reputable hospital withheld) and was told I will be paid N45,000 per month. I will take calls four times a week as well. Maybe the salary has gone up to about N60,000 now. At this stage most of us are tired and just totally opt out of the profession. And we all make vows never to give our children the chance of becoming doctors. Even the ones that remain in the profession are either outside the country practicing, or are becoming anyhow-doctors or just trying to survive. Yet our so called senior colleagues have not helped matters. They are the ones who encourage government to do what they do. They sit back, fold their arms and make statements like "what can we do?" Then they have all sorts of organisations like SOGON, MWAN etc. which celebrate the same government officials so they can have access to those in power and make money.Last line: While we should not begrudge those who have the means -- however so acquired-- to go abroad to treat malaria, I hope those aspiring to be president, governors, Senators and so on will remember the poor masses when they get to power and do something about the healthcare delivery system, beginning with the remuneration of doctors. If the health of a people is considered its wealth, it then goes without saying that for us to prosper, our healthcare delivery system has to be re-invigorated. And that cannot be done under a regime in which doctors are paid peanuts.All things are possible to him who believes... do you?------------ --------- --------- ---We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love(and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.
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1b.
Re: Who Wants To Be A Doctor?
Posted by: "shodeindecoker" shodeindecoker@hotmail.com shodeindecoker
Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:36 am (PST)
Thanks Akin for you post. I have been thinking about it as well and wondering why on earth 2 'human beings' that want to lead us would leave their beloved country for healthcare management abroad for minor problems. What are UCH,The National Hospitals and other teaching hospitals there for. It is sad our teachers do not want to take action to stop this scourge on our healthcare system. I mean, if I were an orthopod like Mr Alonge, I would feel really offended that a leader in the country would not trust me or my collegues to take care of a ruptured tendon.I do not know about you guys but this speaks volumes to me. We need to help oureslves here. What will happen if 60% of docs leave the country? Let us get involved in any way we can to help ourselves.
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1c.
Re: Who Wants To Be A Doctor?
Posted by: "folusho alalade" alaladefolusho@yahoo.com alaladefolusho
Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:03 pm (PST)
Deinde, Every one feels pissed at the whole idea. Atiku fliesall the way to London Bridge hospital for his knee tobe fixed, and then returns to campaign. I shiver justimagining how much he must have spent as a privatepatient. Now this is someone who has already beenspending money on campaigns, court cases and evenweekly gymnasium activities. Laffs!Obasanjo's man flies to Germany when his party hasbeen in government since 1999. What the hell has theparty been doing? Anyway, we all know the answer tothat!But think about it...what do you really expect ourteachers to do? Complain? They have not evencomplained, their salaries are already being cut andshunted for electoral runz.May God help us!
To my fellow dokitas it will surely get better why else would i answer the question in the affirmative, I have a dream.......................................... to those with the gift of dreams and their interpretations please dream good dreams about the medical proffesion and may they come to pass. AMIN
Who Wants to be a Doctor?...(2) The Verdict according toOlusegun Adeniyi, Tel& Email: (08055001980) olusegunadeniyi@ thisdayonline. com, 03.14.2007 The two main contenders for presidency do not believe in the medical system they helped in contriving! What then is the moral justification for seeking our mandate? Perhaps we should insist that they promise to send every sick Nigerian abroad for proper medical attention!The foregoing text message sent to me by a pastor speaks volume about the state of affairs in our nation today. Because within a spate of two weeks, both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice President Atiku Abubakar have practically passed a vote of no confidence in our healthcare delivery system. While Yar'Adua went abroad to treat what has been described as "minor catarrh", Atiku went for surgery on his knee after a "mild knock" in the course of physical exercise. When I began this series, Who Wants to be a Doctor?, two weeks ago, it was brought about by the threat of doctors in public health institutions that they would down tools over reduction in their wages in the name of a review. Fortunately, the strike has been suspended but the real issues remain. The central plank of my piece is actually on the reward system that more or less puts those who save lives at the bottom of the pyramid but it seems to be a universal phenomenon though nothing excuses the neglect of the health sector in our country, an issue that has to be addressed. I have heard all sorts of arguments as to why affluent Nigerians would rather go abroad when they have headache than seek medical attention here at home and I refuse to be swayed by most of them. The simple truth is that it is part of the larger malaise in which we all believe we can kill the public system simply because we can afford to send our immediate family abroad. That is why public education has gone to the dogs, the same thing we are doing to healthcare. This is one serious agenda that would have driven this campaign, given the Yar'Adua/Atiku misadventure, assuming we are running an electoral system based on issues. But such hardly matter here hence the moment is lost. But it is important that we keep the issue on the front burner so the next elected government will have to do something.Aside providing the basic infrastructure for the health sector, an issue we would still need to address, that of commensurate remuneration has become a major concern if our doctors must stay in this environment to practice their trade. We must stress it for those who aspire to rule us that in today's world, three of the key indices for measuring the prosperity of any nation are security, healthcare and education and Nigeria is failing on all counts. And part of the problem in these key areas remains the warped reward system.Incidentally, the first part of the piece provoked a deluge of responses from Nigerian medical practitioners from all over the world. Most of the contributions are so compelling that I am tempted to forward some to the Health Minister but that would be assuming he already doesn't know about the problems. For the purpose of this column today, I have picked two letters here to drive the point home. The first is to show that the problem is global while the second localises it and puts our situation in its proper context. While I end this intervention with the two letters, I need to point out that a career in medicine still remains a noble choice for those brilliant enough to make the grades and would still recommend it for qualified students in the sciences. There are, however, basic issues we must address, especially in our country, if we are to join civilised societies who take the health of their people very seriously. Right now, we don't. But in concluding the piece I tend to have raised more questions than answers. I just leave the readers to pause and ponder.I have deliberately withheld the name of the second writer but the first is by the United Kingdom-based Prof. Femi Oyebode, Head of Department of Psychiatry at the University of Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital who also doubles as the Chief Examiner, Royal College of Psychiatrists and a Research Fellow at the Centre for West African Studies at the University of Birmingham. A respected medical practitioner of 30 years, Oyebode's letter is instructive:------------ --------- ------Dear Segun,I very much enjoyed your article on doctors. You certainly captured the current tensions in the profession by your use of letters. The problem with medicine is at present worldwide. Our students require a minimum of 2As and a B to get in and the work is tireless for five years. Postgraduate medicine is now mandatory for all doctors, even GPs have to train to be specialists. Yet, remuneration is modest and job satisfaction is questionable because of the changes in the work environment. This is an international problem. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a paper out that argues that governments are trying to undermine medicine as a profession. Whatever the case there is little doubt that for a young doctor the stresses are tremendous and the motivation to continue to do this work, which can only be described as noble, must be internal and self-generated. This year I have been a doctor for 30 years and the privilege of serving others has been fulfilling and continuallymotivating. But, even I now ask whether I can in honesty advise any young prospective student to take up medicine. Such is the state that the profession is in.--Femi Oyebode------------ ---Dear Segun,First of all let me give you my own story which is what most of us who are doctors in this generation went through. When I got into the university to study medicine I had stars in my eyes, believing I was well on my way to contributing my quota to improving the lot of mankind especially in my country. Along the way I had quite a number of mishaps. First, I had to repeat two years because I failed two exams and of course ASUU took its own pound of flesh. In all this most of us had somehow started regretting why we went into medicine but we still held on believing that we were doing what we desired and would make it at the end. I agree with you when you say no matter the country doctors are not treated any better. But in Nigeria our situation is unbelievable. When we finally graduate we are meant to do one year housejob which is also known as internship. At this stage you are a full fledged doctor although still learning the ropes. Before I graduated it was relatively easy to get a place to do housejob, afterall house officers are so hungry to learn that they are popularly referred to as the 'househelps' in the hospitals. By the time I graduated, however, you had to lobby to get a place and even when you do get a place you may not be paid at all for the one year spent because some people in authority will say that 'we have employed more than we need so we are only helping you.' The next stage determines how many will continue. We write qualifying exams called primaries once you are ready to become a specialist. Then you need to get a place to do your specialisation known as residency. Of course if you do not know anyone you will have to fight tooth and nail to get into a place or as it happened to many, they just throw in the towel and move on to something else!This is what has happened to most of us. There are those who have taken other career paths. Two of my friends work for Zenith bank. I have a friend who just came back from England a doctor. She works for one of the so-called big hospitals where she earns N60,000 per month. She takes calls four times a week. I tried to get a job in (name of the reputable hospital withheld) and was told I will be paid N45,000 per month. I will take calls four times a week as well. Maybe the salary has gone up to about N60,000 now. At this stage most of us are tired and just totally opt out of the profession. And we all make vows never to give our children the chance of becoming doctors. Even the ones that remain in the profession are either outside the country practicing, or are becoming anyhow-doctors or just trying to survive. Yet our so called senior colleagues have not helped matters. They are the ones who encourage government to do what they do. They sit back, fold their arms and make statements like "what can we do?" Then they have all sorts of organisations like SOGON, MWAN etc. which celebrate the same government officials so they can have access to those in power and make money.Last line: While we should not begrudge those who have the means -- however so acquired-- to go abroad to treat malaria, I hope those aspiring to be president, governors, Senators and so on will remember the poor masses when they get to power and do something about the healthcare delivery system, beginning with the remuneration of doctors. If the health of a people is considered its wealth, it then goes without saying that for us to prosper, our healthcare delivery system has to be re-invigorated. And that cannot be done under a regime in which doctors are paid peanuts.All things are possible to him who believes... do you?------------ --------- --------- ---We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love(and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.
Back to top Reply to sender Reply to group Reply via web post Messages in this topic (3)
1b.
Re: Who Wants To Be A Doctor?
Posted by: "shodeindecoker" shodeindecoker@hotmail.com shodeindecoker
Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:36 am (PST)
Thanks Akin for you post. I have been thinking about it as well and wondering why on earth 2 'human beings' that want to lead us would leave their beloved country for healthcare management abroad for minor problems. What are UCH,The National Hospitals and other teaching hospitals there for. It is sad our teachers do not want to take action to stop this scourge on our healthcare system. I mean, if I were an orthopod like Mr Alonge, I would feel really offended that a leader in the country would not trust me or my collegues to take care of a ruptured tendon.I do not know about you guys but this speaks volumes to me. We need to help oureslves here. What will happen if 60% of docs leave the country? Let us get involved in any way we can to help ourselves.
Back to top Reply to sender Reply to group Reply via web post Messages in this topic (3)
1c.
Re: Who Wants To Be A Doctor?
Posted by: "folusho alalade" alaladefolusho@yahoo.com alaladefolusho
Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:03 pm (PST)
Deinde, Every one feels pissed at the whole idea. Atiku fliesall the way to London Bridge hospital for his knee tobe fixed, and then returns to campaign. I shiver justimagining how much he must have spent as a privatepatient. Now this is someone who has already beenspending money on campaigns, court cases and evenweekly gymnasium activities. Laffs!Obasanjo's man flies to Germany when his party hasbeen in government since 1999. What the hell has theparty been doing? Anyway, we all know the answer tothat!But think about it...what do you really expect ourteachers to do? Complain? They have not evencomplained, their salaries are already being cut andshunted for electoral runz.May God help us!
Have you heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?
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