DOCTOR RANTS RELOADED 2: DO WE BEGIN TO GIVE FREE CONSULTATIONS?

Health promotion and awareness is not same as giving Free Health Consultations.

Don't mix the too. One may be free, the other isn't.

If your tire bursts, see your vulcanizer, if you want to maintain a healthy tire,

Abeg.

I once heard a story from a senior colleague who told me that there was a day her car broke down and she saw a mechanic for it who observes the car and told her what was wrong with it and then went on to provide solution for the damage she said that that day she had no cash on hand but promised to leave the car there and return with payment after the car has been repaired.

The greatest surprise when she returned and the car has been fixed, she asked for the bill and she was charged for three different things diagnosis treatment and the parking space for the car. this was surprising to her as all she thought she was going to pay for was for the treatment.

It seems very funny but they were in their absolute right to demand and charge her for that however when it comes to the medical practice we have often seen people who demand treatment and consultations and do it without expecting any form of charge whatsoever.

It has become very rampant for people to expect that doctors being humanitarian service freelancers who can be consulted at anytime of the day and that they deliver on the expected without any charge just because they are reachable.

This reachability is probably no problem because if the contact of a doctor is with everyone then it wouldn't be difficult to easily access one however the thought that they do not deserve to be paid for the knowledge that they have about your body and what is causing problem in the body at that time is the issue that needs to be uncovered and probably destroyed in the minds of people.

You do not expect the Doctor who spent six to eight years studying and 4 years of him to go and begin training and practicing to learn and master the things that he has been exposed to in the medical school to come out and then everyone is pecking him to solve their problems free of charge, the vulcanizer and the mechanics know better.

My rant is practically logical but it's really not the fault of the patients. What became all this was the state of ignorance that has seem to rise over the years, even amongst some Doctors I must say, becasue it took one to spread this idea that all doctors are same. We may find an emergency and intervene to keep things still in order before a proper health facility can be contacted, but this doesnt mean everyone around us should suddenly fall sick and reach out for your number to call at the middle of the night, we have our lives to live too, our wives and children are demanded of their fairs and school fees when they go out there too. No one ever says, "oh its the Doctors's kid, let him be" or Oh its the Doctors wife, let her get some discounts" we are even billed more, just pray they dont recognise you as a Doc. What did we do wrong, is it a curse.

Hello, I didnt only become a Doctor because I want to save lives, I also was told its an occupation, a job, where we get paid for it.

So lets strike a balance, humanity is also on this side of us and we need to be alive to do what we do.

These are not EMptY rants. I m happy for a space like this and would love your comments.

@jaydr

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