“Leave your number, the doctor (al hakim) will call you back”.
How often have patients heard this statement from the physician’s secretary and how often have they waited, called back and gotten the same answer?
Patients wait for the phone call because they need the physicians and because they trust the physician who is a healer, dedicated to help the sick. In Arabic, the word for doctor is hakim. A hakim is a wise person and wisdom encapsulates the characteristics of the ability to judge and discern what is right. Why is it that the majority of the hukama (plural of hakim) do not call back unless the patient is a VIP? Beepers, landline phones, cell phones, all are available. The patient waits. Either the secretary fails to transmit the message or the physician decides to ignore it. In the meantime, the patient’s trust in the doctor and the profession of medicine diminishes.
Is the physician who does not return calls worthy of the title physician (hakim)?Is it the patient’s fault because of calling too often? Or is it simply that doctors are abusing their power?
" اترك رقمك وسيتصل بك الطبيب لاحقاً"
جملة ٌ طالما سمعها المرضى, وانتظروا الاتصال الذي لم يأتِ – إنهم يأملون أن يعاود الطبيب الاتصال بهم لانهم يثقون به, بإخلاصه لمهنته ومقدرته على شفائهم. كلمة " حكيم " التي تطلق على الطبيب تأتي من الحكمة ومن إيمان المجتمع بحكمة الطبيب. فما بال " الحكماء " لا يتصلون بمرضاهم إلا إذا كانوا من الشخصيات المرموقة في المجتمع؟
"إن الطبيب الذي لا تهمه مصلحة مرضاه ولا يتابع أمورهم لا يستحق لقب " الحكيم .
جملة ٌ طالما سمعها المرضى, وانتظروا الاتصال الذي لم يأتِ – إنهم يأملون أن يعاود الطبيب الاتصال بهم لانهم يثقون به, بإخلاصه لمهنته ومقدرته على شفائهم. كلمة " حكيم " التي تطلق على الطبيب تأتي من الحكمة ومن إيمان المجتمع بحكمة الطبيب. فما بال " الحكماء " لا يتصلون بمرضاهم إلا إذا كانوا من الشخصيات المرموقة في المجتمع؟
"إن الطبيب الذي لا تهمه مصلحة مرضاه ولا يتابع أمورهم لا يستحق لقب " الحكيم .
Picture above: They Are Waiting- Sculpture by Nnamdi Okonkwo of Orem
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This is very true.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened with my family was a bit worse.
The doctor gave us her personal cell phone number after an operation was performed.
Despite multiple trials in the following few days, she actually NEVER answered her phone!
this happens mostly when the doctor becomes known. I have changed my doctor because of his attitude and I told many people about him. Doctors forget that that they can lose patients like that and that without patients they can do nothing! The ministry of health or whoever is in charge should punish such doctors who take the patient for granted. Doctors like that are full of themselvevs (I am not using strong words out of respect for your blog).
ReplyDelete