Yasiph gives an idea of the kind of Questions that you can ask when choosing a doctor November 29, 2006

Yasiph gives us some ideas on the kind of questions you can ask when choosing your doctor.

• Do you see children with special health care needs in your practice?
• Do you and your staff have experience with a child who has (your child’s special health care need)?
• What type of services does your practice offer? Of these which do you provide and which are provided by others such as a nurse or physician assistant?
• Are you comfortable working in a team situation with my child’s other providers? (other physicians, teacher, PT, OT, SLP, case manager, home care nurse, etc.)
• Are you comfortable being my child’s medical care coordinator?
• How many patients do you see each day? How long does an average appointment take?
• Which hospital(s) do you have admitting privileges to?
• What is your telephone call policy? Do you give advice or prescribe medication over the phone?
• Do you have an e-mail address and can I use it to communicate with you?
• Who will my child see when you are on vacation or it is after hours?
• Which place of service do you use if my child needs tests or lab work done?
• Are you comfortable discussing alternative treatment such as the use of homeopathic treatment, traditional medicines etc…?
• Do you mind answering questions? Do you allow a parent to make an appointment specifically to ask questions and discuss a plan of care?
• How would you feel if I ever asked for a second opinion?

Knock Knock…Whos there?.. November 20, 2006

Knock knock…

Who is there?

Dr.

Dr. who?

Its me. Dr. Daood.

Another scenario

A doctor calls the cinema to see if there are any tickets available. After two rings the one on the other side says;

Receptionist: Hello, my name is Camilla. How can I help you?

Mr. Dr.: This is Dr. Daood. I am calling to see if there are any tikets available for the show….etc…

Some one who wrote a comment to this blog said,

“I have come across the abuse of the noble title of “Dr.” in quiet a number of situations in Maldives. I am referring to medical doctors who like to use their Dr. title, even when they are introducing themselves to the counter girl at the supermarket. I find this totally wrong. It was heartening to see that it is not only me who feels this way.”

I agree with the comment and liked the quoted piece below from the writer she referred to.

“Exercising authority is what this “Dr.” business is all about. It would be entirely appropriate if the matter were medicine, but to invoke the title outside of the surgery, in ordinary discourse, is to suggest that one party holds some universal prescription for all that might ail the other.”

What do others think?

Ask for it. (Part 1) November 16, 2006

We all agree that there are serious problems in the Maldivian health system. Although Maldivian health care system needs massive over haul and modernization, it cannot be done overnight. It does not mean that we simply accept what ever is thrown at us.

Since it is only the beginning and it is too early to say the dernier cri, I would like to accentuate on the choices we make. By pretending that we don’t have any choice is accepting that we are ignoramuses. The essential, foremost and most pressing eventuality is that to make the right choice we need the right information to make informed decisions. It does make sense. It is our body, and we should be able to make our own decisions regarding it. It is our decisions and our choice that we make that can and will improve the standard of care, not only in this country alone, but has shown that it is the case everywhere else.

In the most developed countries such as the US, negligence and malpractice do happen. The only difference between those and that happen here is that in Maldives there is no such thing as making those involved in the “mishap” accountable. If every incidence is labeled as an “unfortunate accident” nothing will improve and ultimately we as the ones who use these services will suffer. So what can us, as users of a service, do about it?

In other parts of the developed world, more and more, doctors and service seekers (aka consumers) are materializing on the fact that the appointments that work best are those in which clients take an active and progressive approach rather than being a mere passive dummy. Four things are to be notified here:

1. Ask questions

2. Weighing the risks of a treatment

3. Weighing the benefits of a treatment and

4. Learning about their condition.

(to be continued…)

In the mean time here is an article to read. Please note that there is no organization that I know of that does Quality Assessment on the hospitals in Maldives.

http://www.yafaau.info November 16, 2006

Previous post got a comment which is published below.

Anonymous said:

I came across website of this unfortunate kid in male. It says in it;

“It is believed that there must have been severe oxygen shortage in the brain during labour and delivery. The newborn infant’s blood is specially equipped to compensate for low levels of oxygen, and asphyxia (lack of oxygen caused by interruption in breathing or poor oxygen supply) is common in babies during the stresses of labour and delivery. But asphyxia severely lowered the supply of oxygen to Yafaau’s brain for a lengthy period, which developed brain damage called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. A significant proportion of babies with this type of brain damage die, and others may develop cerebral palsy, which is then often accompanied by mental impairment and seizures.

Doctors were trying their best to deliver Yafaau. They even tried Vacuum extraction. Even after hours of effort, they were unable to deliver him. Doctors gave up hope on him. When Yafaau was born(natural birth), he was not breathing, had no heartbeat.”

read it online http://www.yafaau.info

THE TRUTH SLEEPS IN THE MORGUE November 12, 2006

Each and every country needs a good and efficient health care system in order to care for the health needs of their people.

When we become ill, we commit ourselves and “surrender” us to the hands of our doctors to bring to us the benefit and blessings of whatever medical science can do to help us get well again.

But sometimes that doesn’t happen because the system fails us. According to research, medical mistakes (aka “the silent killer”, contributes to this big time. In one study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, states that 19.4 percent of medical errors occur due to drug complications in the US.

Then there are the times when the patient doesn’t get the best care because they fall through cracks in the system. Sometimes it’s because a doctor or another health professional doesn’t quite understand what’s really wrong and what the patient needs. Sometimes the patient doesn’t understand what the doctor says. Sometimes our doctors don’t tell us everything we need to know.

The aim of this blog is to make Maldivians aware. Bring health news and create a platform so that every single one who wants to engage can do that and contribute. Anyone who want to contribute is welcome. Any news regarding health issues, not only from Maldives but anywhere else can be good and benefit us. To become a member of this blog is most welcome.