I just want to correct your notion that fever is a contagious sickness. It's not. Fever is just a sign/symptom of an illness and it's not contagious per se. Illnesses manifesting fever could be also be not contagious.

But I do get your point about patients sharing beds have increased risks of having contagious diseases.

Yes, it is sad that our health care situation is like this. Not that I'm defending my fellow doctors' rude behavior, but I'll try to make you see why they are like that.

It's a domino effect actually. I'm not working in government-subsidized hospital right now, but I did when I was still a fourth-year medical student. And the work is really hard. I cannot say all the details here, as it might occupy the whole page. But let me just say that it can take its toll on anyone, even those with the best intentions. Also, they're human too. Make yourself work for 24-hours or more in that environment and see if you don't get grumpy. Staff are forced to work longer hours because hospitals do have to be stringent with its financial resources. This doesn't happen in more developed countries because they can afford to have 2 or 3 rotating shifts of personnel per day.

And though the pay is higher compared to those in most private hospitals, still, the amount of work is just too much for a still meager pay. And add to all that hard work the frustration that they just can't do everything that's needed to be done because...as expected, not enough money from the government.

The problem here lies not with the staff. I think it lies in the less than desired appropriations given by the government for these hospitals (because the government would rather spend on infrastructure). How can anyone administer good and proper health care if you do not have the resources for it?

Hello Ms. Tess.. i appreciate your comment.

oh what i actually meant about fever/flu being contagious is that it is infectious or it's communicable by contact.. isn't it? (please, correct me if i'm wrong though).

yeah i understand that budget is undeniably a big issue here.. but i just wanna point out that my Aunt worked there as a Nurse Aid (mas mababa pa yung sweldo nila compared to actual Nurses) for more than 25 years and bata pa lang kami dun na kami nagpapagamot and we were even circumsized in that hospital.. i saw kung pano makitungo yung Tita ko sa mga pasyente dun and hindi po sya ganun ka-iritable, i never once saw her na hindi nya kinausap ng maayos yung mga patients na ina-assist nya or mag-complain man lang sa work.. she loves her work so much.

one more thing po is that i experienced the same thing even in hospitals like Ospital ng Maynila (they even gave a wrong diagnostics to my father's case.. na-stroke na pala sya.. bleeding lang yung sinabi nila)and even sa PGH (ever since i was a kid.. kasi prone ako sa aksidente kaya ako laging nadadala sa hospital).. now i don't think na it's fair for them na maging ganon sila just because they aren't compensated well by the government.. i know it's sacrifice for them but they should know it beforehand na ganon yung sitwasyon that they have to live up with.. and besides as "public servant" they should display good ethics at all times.. pwera na lang kung demanding or napaka-uncalled-for nung ugali nung pasyente nila.. pero sa gaya ko na sobrang respectful in approaching them, it's just so not right and unfair to me.. minsan lang din kami mag-avail ng tulong from the government kahit na malaki (close to 5K a month) ang binabayaran kong taxes since i worked in a callcenter for a year.

i'm aware naman po of their situation.. but then is it really necessary na ipakita nila yung disgust nila from the government at tarayan nila yung mga pasyente na dapat pinagsisilbihan nila.. do you need to be compensated well to serve your country, malala po yung problema natin and i believe we should all make the right sacrifices.. it's gonna be painful but we all should be part of it ..i appreciate good customer customer service since i've been there.. ako nga minumura pa ako ng mga kano pero ok lang carry lang although minsan talaga napipikon ako na tinatarayan ko sila.. but then i figured if i can't handle that then i should better resign and that's what i did.

btw, pupunta po kayo sa event mamaya sa MoA right? you see there po and thanks for commenting and for correcting me na rin hehe. (^^,)

Fever is just a manifestation of the illness. It is the illness that can be communicable.

I didn't mean to justify those acts. I only meant to have you understand why it happens. The root cause of our poor healthcare isn't because of the rude healthcare staff. The rudeness/irritability is just a symptom of what is ailing this country. We are all unsatisfied by how this government (and other past governments) have handled Philippine healthcare.

From my point of view as a physician, okay lang ang physical fatigue because it comes with the job. But the insults? Patients can be very rude also. I've experienced being accused of experimenting on her child by a very rude mother when I explained that I'll be extracting a blood sample for culture. Of course, some will say that she doesn't understand what it's all about and that she's poor that's why she doesn't have that much understanding. But see, that's unnecessary patronizing. Poverty should never be a valid reason for not being sensible.

But I will not contradict what you said that there really are nurses and doctors in the government hospitals that are rude. Ako nga na doktor nabibiktima pa din ng mga bastos na nurse. Especially during my clerkship. We're the lowest form of animal in the hospital.

I do agree that we have some sacrifices to make. Pero I don't think those sacrifices shouldn't mean one will lose his self-worth and dignity.

BTW, nice meeting you @ Taste Asia. 'Til next blogger meetup! :-)

"Fever is just a manifestation of the illness. It is the illness that can be communicable."

.. thanks for this one, now i know. :P

btw, i really see and understand where you're coming from, being a doctor yourself, and it's really sad na even doctors eh nababastos ng nurses.. tsk, tsk, really sad.. honestly sa inyo ko lang po unang narinig yan.

and yeah rude nurses/doctors aren't the root cause of our poor healthcare (it's really mainly from the government's insufficient subsidy and consideration) however they're kind of contributing to it.. making it poorer.

i do believe on the other hand, that if your patient talked illy towards you (which is really questionable in manner) then you can retaliate (hehe) for no one has the right to disrespect anybody.

i agree.. sacrifices should be within the grounds of righteousness and of course should be for our country.. and it'll not compromise our self-worth and dignity.

i enjoyed this exchange of views with you.. thanks for enlightening me in some ways.

btw, pumunta pa pala keo sa baywalk? hehe it sure sounds like a lot of fun.. i love wandering to baywalk.. that's just a partial of what Manila has to offer hehe if you have free time sana mas ma-explore nyo pa po yung place.

thanks again for featuring this lame post.. :P and yeah, until next bloggers meet up, doktora hehe!

^__^

Yes, nambabastos din ng doctors ang nurses. Pero I think pinipili nila ang binabastos nila, like residents and mga GPs. 'Yung mga consultants nagpapalakas sila sa mga 'yon kasi they think mas dapat i-respeto ang consultants kasi specialists na sila. Napaka-twisted ng reasoning nila noh? I do think all doctors should be given respect, be a specialist or GP. Some doctors, though, think that being in the lowest part of the totem pole, that doctor shouldn't be given that much respect. That is also another twisted form of reasoning.

Being a student at UP Nursing, I have all my healthcare experiences at PGH. I know how much effort the nurses and doctors are putting into their work. Do you know that a typical nurse there handles around 12-20 beds, when the ideal is around 3 only?

They are overworked and underpaid. I think it's safe to assume that they get bitter and uncaring as time passes.

I know it's not an excuse to ignore patients and make them feel unwanted, but most of them are experiencing burn out. I have observed that most of the ones who're caring and compassionate are those who are new on the job.

Inside the hospital, there's a political hierarchy. Since the nurses are deemed to be classified with the cockroaches and the nursing aides with the worms, they get the worst treatment. They mostly vent their frustrations on to the sick, especially those in the charity ward. Why? Because they can be classified as dirt. That's how life in PGH works from my point of view.