Give credit where credit is due

It is human nature to voice out the negative – i.e. we tend to see and hear more complaints than praises. It is a common experience in the healthcare service sector be it public or private. It’s more so commonplace in the public sector where the nature of the two tier healthcare system in the country sees a disproportionately higher number of patients in the public sector chiefly because of lower expenses. When patient load is high it comes with a price – increased waiting times and sometimes perceived negative issues with the service. I dare say many in the public under-appreciate what is in general still a reasonably good system.

So it is heartening to see this observation by a medical student in a letter to the Star

I REFER to the letter “Our healthcare highly looked upon” (The Star, Sept 9). I agree that Malaysians are generally not appreciative of the Government’s healthcare system.
I recently had the opportunity to do my elective programme at the Paediatric Department in Hospital Tuanku Jaafar Seremban (HTJS).
It was there that I fully appreciated the heavy workload that comes with being a doctor.
Rounds, clinics, procedures and night shifts are part of what they do every day with the best interest of their patients in mind.
From the housemen to the specialists, everyone works as a team to provide the best healthcare for the children and their anxious parents.
Not only do they treat illnesses, they make it a point to educate parents on how to take care of their children and how to prevent them from falling sick again.
Nevertheless, I’m sure that there are some who had a less than pleasurable experience in government hospitals, and to that, I ask that we practise a bit of understanding and patience towards our doctors and nurses who oversee countless patients a day.
We should give more credit to the hardworking people who man our hospitals. Kudos to the Paediatric Department of HTJS for having such an inspiring team of doctors.

FARUL PATEL
Medical Student,
Universiti Sains Malaysia