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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Sick Doctors At IGMH by Mcritic dated 25th February
The Sick Doctors At IGMH by Mcritic
I guess the hottest news of the week is the “strike” by the doctors at IGMH. Of course technically it’s not a strike because they just took sick leave and officially they are only on sick leave. In fact some of the doctors who had patients admitted in the wards under their care actually went to review them despite being on sick leave (I guess doctors do care about their patients after all!).
I think by definition an employee strike would involve some kind of public demand and an official acknowledgement that they are going on strike inoder to put pressure for their demands to be met. This has not been done in this case. And of course the whole thing has been turned into a real circus by the government and the doctors themselves, but more on that later.
Taking a look at the reactions on MVBlogs, Alidi who claims to have “unbiased thoughts” fails to realise that government has been anything but unbiased and fair to the doctors and nurses at IGMH. Here is my comment on that post:
“doctors are doing humanitarian work. Even not getting a penny, will get people and God love if assist with patients.” Can you show me one shop owner who will give these doctors a half kilo of rice for free every day as a token of appreciation for their so called Humanitarian work? Or do you think doctors are super humans who do not have to eat or pay rent or send their children to school?
Think about the nation first? Despite the whole world economy going into a recession the government is going around raising everyone’s salaries except doctors who actually got a pay cut. I am sure you would call that fair. Isn’t it our elected leaders who should first have the sense to run this country properly and practice fairness?
Everyone else gets pay rises but it’s just the doctors who have to get happiness by having no desire for happiness.
The only way to stop the Maldives budget from deteriorating is to cut the pay from doctors even while everyone else gets pay rises is it?
The doctors are not complaining about not getting a pay rise. They are complaining about them being treated unfairly. As we can see how much you can understand that concept from your one sided shallow appreciation of the situation.
If you can’t look at the reality or at least be fair and truthful in your analysis of things that are apparently beyond you, at least keep your thoughts to yourself.
The maldiveseconomist says that one doctor at least will be going home with a pay cut of Rf 3000. In fact some of the doctors will be deprived of upto Rf 6000 or more. I wish you would realise that the doctors and nurses are unhappy not because they want to get a pay rise but becuase they have been treated unfairly. And here we were all fooled into thinking that the new government is going to be more competent and fair to the people. It’s funny that on the TVM newscast they said that it’s the normal people who go to IGMH (aka patients) who have to suffer from this unfair action by the doctors. Aren’t doctors people too? What makes them abnormal or supernormal? Is it because they spent a decade of their lives studying while everyone else did not or is it because they have dedicated their professional lives to helping make other people’s lives healthier? Is this the gratitude we have to show to them; that they should get the same salary as someone who dropped out of grade 9?
In that case why should the ministers get a higher salary than the local garbageman? They both seem to have the same depth of knowledge and common sense from the shit that happens in the Parliament.
aliflaamgaaf thinks that the government should start telling the truth to the people. Hmm.. I do remember some bull shit rhetoric from MDP about their planned government having accountability and transparency. I guess in the 100 days of the news management we have taken a ferry back from the New Maldives to the Old Maldives cos we are getting fucked the same way as we were before.
If you’re still reading this I am glad there are still some people left on MVBlogs who have got the patience to read through a post that’s more than 50 words long. Just to finish off I have to touch on a recurring theme of mine; the stupid ass journalists. If the civil service officials are going to hold a news conference to talk about the doctors strike, why can’t one of you get some hard facts and ask some tough questions? Why can’t you go prepared with the facts and make the officials accountabel instead of being pussy pushovers and letting them turn the event into a sarcasmfest? If you take just two values:
1- The pay rise of a typical deputy director
2- The change in pay of a typical specialist doctor
And ask them to explain why the former got a rise of thousands and the latter got a pay cut of thousands, and ask them to explain the difference in treatment, maybe you can get some answers and do your part in this “supposed modern democracy” with a “supposed free press”. But as usual you were all drowsy after your heavy lunches.
And if only the doctors would give this hard information to the journalists so that maybe, hopefully they will raise this issue with a bit more force.
( Reproduced with Mcritics permission: visit Mcritic hereI
Monday, March 2, 2009
Article on Haveeru online: on the response of some memebrs of the citizens majlis to Doctors and nurses greviences
Haveeru's reporter Hassan Mohamed's article posted today gives an account of some members response towards the recent demands of doctors and nurses.
We do seem so easily replaceable and dispensable. Just take a look at this!
Article titled : 30 Indian doctors arrive next week on Minivan News on 25th february 2009
President Mohamed Nasheed has asked an Indian chief of naval staff to provide 30 doctors on a temporary basis to the Maldives.
Mohamed Zuhair, the president’s office press secretary, has said the president’s request to Admiral Sureesh Mehta today, to provide doctors was not in any way related to the mass sick leave that was taken yesterday by 15 local doctors at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
IGMH services were disrupted when 15 doctors went on sick leave; the doctors have said they are not on strike.
Speaking to Minivan News yesterday, a member of the civil service commission, Fahmy Hassan, said as doctors were professionals, the commission was obliged to accept their reasons for failing to turn up to work.
Zuhair too said he did not believe they were on strike. “Indian doctors will work both in IGMH and in different districts throughout the Maldives,” he said.
The Indian doctors, possibly from the Indian navy, he said, were expected to arrive in the Maldives in a week.
“The Indian navy does provide humanitarian aid,” he said. “So, there are capable doctors who can help us.”
Abdul Sattar Ibrahim Manik, IGMH deputy director for public relations, said the 15 doctors were on sick leave again today.
“It has not been as hard or as busy as yesterday,” said Manik, “but a lot of people have complained about the service. We are managing with the help of the existing Indian doctors.”
He said an additional 30 doctors would be helpful if they could be used to fill the “gaps” and added he thought the 15 Maldivian doctors would return to work over the next few days.
“Doctors have two days for sick leave and if they are not present on the third day, they have to produce a medical certificate.”
The doctors who took sick leave were from the following departments: three from Internal, four from Surgery, three from Gynaecology, one from Dermatology, one from Paediatrics, one from Psychiatry and two from Dentistry.
Minivan News contacted several of the doctors on sick leave yesterday, but they refused to comment.
By Ibrahim Mohamed
Sunday, March 1, 2009
An interesting perspective on Haveeru online by Moosa Latheef
It was a breath of fresh air to see someone actually understand what we are talking about and view our greviences with an open mind.
Take a look at this interesting article titled 'Doctarun Edhakani Rangalhu Vaahakaeh' on Haveeru online by Moosa Latheef dated the 1st of March.
Doctor's arent saints!
A man goes to the doctor with an ailment. The doctor cures this ailment and asks to be paid. The man refuses to pay, and says that doctors, by virtue of becoming a doctor, have special moral obligations to patients and society and asking for payment for his services brings into question his humanity, his morals and the oath to honor the profession. He goes on to caution that such demands would ruin the faith of the public in the profession and portray doctors as being inconsiderate and materialistic.
It is unfortunate that the current strike by doctors is viewed in such a perspective, that a strike is incompatible with the medical profession. It is disappointing that the Human Rights Commission denounced the strike by suggesting that doctors were trying to hold ransom the rights of patients for material gain when it wasn’t so. The strike was limited in that doctors attended emergencies and care was provided for inpatients. As advocates of human rights the commission should rather question why policy makers allow unnecessary suffering of patients by improper allocation of healthcare resources.
While it is true that doctors have special obligations to his patients and society, a person who choses to become a doctor does not make any declaration, implicit or explicit, that he/she will abstain from trying to make his/her life as fulfilling as possible and like any other individual they too have the right to pursue happiness. The actions of doctors should be judged by the same standards as those used for other professionals. When the Civil Service Commission fails to provide a just payment for their services, it is unfair to suggest that doctors should work under any circumstance. Several doctors, while employed full time as professionals, have been denied the professional allowance and exploited due to the commissions’ refusal to review its rules.
If doctors have special obligations, they can demand special benefits and go on strike, as long as the demands are reasonable and it does not undermine patient care. The provision of healthcare is a joint responsibility of the government, hospitals and doctors and each element should support the other.
By Faisal Saeed posted on 26 Feb 2009
A man goes to the doctor with an ailment. The doctor cures this ailment and asks to be paid. The man refuses to pay, and says that doctors, by virtue of becoming a doctor, have special moral obligations to patients and society and asking for payment for his services brings into question his humanity, his morals and the oath to honor the profession. He goes on to caution that such demands would ruin the faith of the public in the profession and portray doctors as being inconsiderate and materialistic.
It is unfortunate that the current strike by doctors is viewed in such a perspective, that a strike is incompatible with the medical profession. It is disappointing that the Human Rights Commission denounced the strike by suggesting that doctors were trying to hold ransom the rights of patients for material gain when it wasn’t so. The strike was limited in that doctors attended emergencies and care was provided for inpatients. As advocates of human rights the commission should rather question why policy makers allow unnecessary suffering of patients by improper allocation of healthcare resources.
While it is true that doctors have special obligations to his patients and society, a person who choses to become a doctor does not make any declaration, implicit or explicit, that he/she will abstain from trying to make his/her life as fulfilling as possible and like any other individual they too have the right to pursue happiness. The actions of doctors should be judged by the same standards as those used for other professionals. When the Civil Service Commission fails to provide a just payment for their services, it is unfair to suggest that doctors should work under any circumstance. Several doctors, while employed full time as professionals, have been denied the professional allowance and exploited due to the commissions’ refusal to review its rules.
If doctors have special obligations, they can demand special benefits and go on strike, as long as the demands are reasonable and it does not undermine patient care. The provision of healthcare is a joint responsibility of the government, hospitals and doctors and each element should support the other.
By Faisal Saeed posted on 26 Feb 2009
The Ectopic Brain
Hello there,
We thought an introduction was in order as this is our first interaction with you lot. I am Dr.Ectopic Brain ( and Ms.Brocas) and our blog is called The Ectopic Brain.
This blog is mostly about the issues we ( my friends and us ) face in our medical professional and our lives as we evolve and metamorphose.
I as, Dr.Ectopic Brain can be a bit incoherent at times, but most of it is kept in order by my alter ego Ms.Brocas. So fear not our friends!
We both along with the rest of our flock plan to take you through our lives and help you experience our world through the blessed third eye.
Yours truly,
Dr.Ectopic Brain & Ms.Brocas Area
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