Just finished my GP clinic posting. (thats a glimpse of a consultation room)
It was a pretty fun experience and i particularly enjoyed the emphasis on the family centric model of care. Not that it happened or was required often - most cases were simple coughs and colds. But the cases which turned out to be a little more complex really showed how involved the GP could be with the patient. It was refreshing compared to the steamroller treatment dished out by the hospitals and polyclinics.
This holistic care thing is getting to me. mhm.
Regarding the smell in certain GP clinics... i've also found out where that *characteristic* smell comes from: Vitamin B12 injections. It seems that under the pressures of commercialism, money grubbing doctors either become professional drug dealers (benzos), erectile dysfunction Viagra whores, closet dermatologists, "weight loss" healthcentres or "AMPJ - All Must Pa Jiam" - vitamin B12 homeopathic quacks.
While the first money grubber tends to be more invisible to the public, warning signs from the next few money grubbers include heavy use of interior design in the clinic, multiple aesthetic skin or fat posters and the invariable scent of money.
The AMPJ doctors however lack all of those qualities, especially the invariable scent of money because the AMPJ doctors are still relatively poor as they can only charge a small premium on the Vit B12 jabs (afterall, Vitamin B12 sounds nowhere as energising as Viagra does it?) But still, take a quick whiff. And you'll identify your nearest AMPJ doc with relative ease. if you're in to that sort of stuff anyway.
the last category of doctors are the "shit poor but with integrity" fools. They exist in an untenable system thats priced itself excessively low. They have a particularly hard line to tread and many take puny earnings for the work they do. Whilst we must salute them for their dedication but we must also never glorify that evil. As victims of our own altruistic training, we have given up our command of price regulation and have pandered to the masses.
It sounds like good news to everyone but in the long run, this system will only serve to deteriorate the morale of doctors all around - its already spread with this current boom of money grubbing doctors all the way from professional drug dealer to the AMPJ centric physician. Its up to us to make sure that we don't make the system such that it makes systematic crooks of GPs - society should not turn good men into criminals.
Afterall, as one GP put it, if i charge 10 dollars per 10 min consultation, i will be charging the same amount as a hairdresser. in fact, its not even the highend hairdresser but the auntie who does pseudo-armani haircuts. How can such a system be sustainable?
Please fellow medics, do charge for your services - we are the only professionals that makes our living 20 dollars at a time. Be reminded that GPs are seriously underpaid in singapore.
While the first money grubber tends to be more invisible to the public, warning signs from the next few money grubbers include heavy use of interior design in the clinic, multiple aesthetic skin or fat posters and the invariable scent of money.
The AMPJ doctors however lack all of those qualities, especially the invariable scent of money because the AMPJ doctors are still relatively poor as they can only charge a small premium on the Vit B12 jabs (afterall, Vitamin B12 sounds nowhere as energising as Viagra does it?) But still, take a quick whiff. And you'll identify your nearest AMPJ doc with relative ease. if you're in to that sort of stuff anyway.
the last category of doctors are the "shit poor but with integrity" fools. They exist in an untenable system thats priced itself excessively low. They have a particularly hard line to tread and many take puny earnings for the work they do. Whilst we must salute them for their dedication but we must also never glorify that evil. As victims of our own altruistic training, we have given up our command of price regulation and have pandered to the masses.
It sounds like good news to everyone but in the long run, this system will only serve to deteriorate the morale of doctors all around - its already spread with this current boom of money grubbing doctors all the way from professional drug dealer to the AMPJ centric physician. Its up to us to make sure that we don't make the system such that it makes systematic crooks of GPs - society should not turn good men into criminals.
Afterall, as one GP put it, if i charge 10 dollars per 10 min consultation, i will be charging the same amount as a hairdresser. in fact, its not even the highend hairdresser but the auntie who does pseudo-armani haircuts. How can such a system be sustainable?
Please fellow medics, do charge for your services - we are the only professionals that makes our living 20 dollars at a time. Be reminded that GPs are seriously underpaid in singapore.
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