Medical Doctors' Ethics
Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
by pohtiongho
Aggie Associates Engineering Services
This guy was offered an employment by a certain company. But he had to pass the medical check-ups to report for duty. He went to the appointed company doctors and to have the check-ups done, chest x-ray, urine tests etc. After the chest x-ray, his blood pressure was tested. One of the appointed doctors said this guy's blood pressure was 220/130. The guy was very surprised because he did not have chest pains, suffer giddiness, and short of breath etc. This same doctor told him his heart and kidney was affected. But the doctor was only able to confirm the patient's heart was enlarged, not telling him how much it was enlarged. It is high time to have a look at the maintenance record of that X-ray machine to find out when was the last time that machine was serviced. At times, for some reason, the images on the x-ray film are actually distorted.
The doctor even added that this patient would find it hard to climb a five-story staircase on board a ship. The doctor said as the patent walked into the office, he (doctor) could see that the patient was panting. This was again not true. The doctor was guessing because he based his judgment on the fact that an average person, by the time he is aged 50 to 60, he loses 40% of the efficiency of the lungs. The theory is good for the guys on the street. With correct physical exercises, carry out five times per week, each session consisting of thirty minutes, majority of the people are able to maintain bigger and deeper breaths, thus they are stronger and have greater endurance. For many healthy people, surely the lungs could be as efficient as 100%, or at the worst case, may be only 90% efficient at aged 60.
This patient had to pay for the medication out of his own pocket because he had not started work officially. So he told the doctor, who was authorized to prescribe and also dispense medicines, to list down whatever medication would be needed and went away to see his own family doctor. This refusal to buy medicines from that clinic obviously offended the doctor.
Moreover, the doctor refused to allow the patient to have a duplicate of the chest x-ray film, saying that the patient should have another chest x-ray taken if the family doctor wanted to see one. Isn't this a very selfish attitude? Won't it be unsafe to have two chest x-ray taken with one week? Does it hurt any person if a duplicate is taken out of the clinic?
This smart guy heard of the stories why Drug Company used sweet young things to promote their medicines and also of the likelihood of doctors prescribing expensive medicines. That was why he preferred to have the medications from his own family doctor.
Many drug companies spend up to 9% of their total sales every year on promoting their products. Therefore they can easily induce the doctors' judgment in deciding on patients' treatment.
The patient did not see what was written in the letter but when he went to see the family doctor, the lady doctor prescribed nifetex-tr 50 mg and zestril 10 mg and recommended each capsule and tablet must be taken every day. She also sent him for 2D ECHO.
The patient's blood pressure was 160/110. Not as high as the first doctor claimed. One week after the medication, the heart beat remains at 50 per minutes and the blood pressure remains at below 120/67 for many months, until today.
The 2D ECHO confirmed that patient's heart was mildly dilated and there were no other problems. The heart specialist did not prescribe any medicine.
The 2D ECHO results were sent to the company doctor for approval but he disapproved it saying the patient would not be fit to work as he would be having difficulty climbing a five-storey ship (his same comment on an earlier date). The five-storey ship has the same height as a five-storey building. This patient could climb any 12-storey building anywhere in the world with ease! He is able to walk 6400 meters within 70 minutes non-stop.
So ladies and gentlemen, the next time a doctor tells you a problem to solve, consult at least two more doctors before taking any medication. Your life could be at risk. I have worked in a company with over 3500 workers. This company had many appointed doctors. These doctors were not paid on a fixed basis. They were paid on per visit basis, meaning the consultation and the fee on medicines only. (In that country, doctors were authorized to dispense medicines.) I noticed many workers with only running nose, with no high blood pressure or fever, were prescribed four different types of medicine. Did they need all the four medicines?
The two company doctors at this clinic do not remain high on our list anymore. Have you ever heart of similar incidents? Please come forward. By disclosing the dishonesty, you are helping the public. Won't it be a good deed? Please don't say you will do it some other time. You will forget it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)nothing you have written suggests that the doctors are guilty of anything except poor communication. if they had explained clearly the patient may have understood that that sort of blood pressure carries a very high risk of organ damage and even organ failure.also - you should do your research before writing articles like this. x rays can never tell 'how much' the heart is enlarged. they can tell only that it is abnormal. that's why 2DEchos are done, so that a more exact measurement can be made. and clinics have different policies on giving out copies of xrays - i have to agree with you there, it would be useful to give the patient a copy. perhaps you or he should bring this up and discuss the cost involved in getting one.
Jani: Thanks for the comment. That doctor wanted to prescribe medication for that patient. That patient refused on the ground that doctor was only a GP. A heart specialist was consulted and that specialist did not prescribe any medication. Regarding the cost of copying the x-ray, the patient was willing to pay, but that clinic totally refused. There must be something to hide?
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