In the coming days and weeks, I want to lead the discussion in the area of AIDS, fighting the deadly virus that is threatening us in South Sudan.
For today, listen to this report on IRIN Radio from Nimule, to get the taste of things to come. You will need Real Player in order to listen.
A long time ago, I came across this quotation attributed to Sir Humphrey Davy Rolleston, a physician to King George V: “Medicine is a noble profession but a damned bad business.” I am not sure about the context he said that, but at least it rings true for the doctors in Sudan, if at the whole of Africa! Let me explain.
Doctors are poorly paid in Sudan. It has been like that for ages. When I started my work as a junior in early 2000, man we were paid pittance! Our colleagues in the other fields used to laugh at us. And we felt real bad. After spending more than six ears in the university, no one appreciates your work!
You know what, they always say medicine is a humanitarian service, noble etc. However, they forget hat even doctors need to eat, dress, rent houses, feed dependents, transport themselves and get married! How can one be in the same society and be excluded from other basic needs? Another wrong concept is that you can supplement that by opening a clinic! When other people are resting and talking to with their families, you are runing back to the private clinic!
The attitude of our guys in the ministry of health these days is still the same. They forget that the doctor need to be cared for like they care for other professionals. I know now why many decide to serve outside government service just to survive.
The government need to re-structure the salaries of doctors, support them in all ways possible. When he is not cared for, it will definitely affect his professional work, when he becomes divided between looking after his patients and running around in the market in search of money! This is suppose to be secondary. Our patients come first.
It may not be true for many doctors, who have abandoned government service, gone “full” private in their big clinics to make big money. The little ones hanging around in the hospital OPD are the losers . . . It certainly makes medicine bad for business.
I will tell you next time why I decide to go “private” . . .
