A passionate letter to doctors to resume work

A passionate letter to doctors to resume work

It was really heartrending to see the union officials of  Kenya medical practitioners pharmacist  and dentist  Union officials kneeling down at oasis of miracles church seeking the divine intervention despite the prevailing situation. I am writing this letter with a heavy heart, requesting doctors to shelve their strike for the sake of Kenya and instead put on their  white coats of honour. Please Kenyan doctors go back to your places of work. You have made a strong  case. Money is not everything but it is life. I was shocked by the journey some of you took to reach where you are. You are our heroes. What doctors were being paid during the time you were in school,you will be shocked, only peanuts but they loved their job. Please love your job and remember the Aids  patients who need their medication,those who need oxygen,the dialysis patients, those awaiting operations, pregnant women the sick in our society and accident victims etc. You doctors yearned to heal, cure, and save lives of children, women and the elderly in Kenya without having to worry about your time. Doctors strive and live for knowledge and healing. As Physician, you want to make a difference in Kenya where people are suffering. There is lack of medicine and physicians in developing parts of the world  and in Kenya we have one doctor to 1,000 patients. When hawkers,residents  and teachers go on strike, Kenyans ask what are they agitating for? But when those who got real 'A' (original ones) which Dr Matiangi calls the 'A' , we know that there is a problem in Kenya. We need divine intervention. Please doctors,you treat the poor in Kenyan hospitals and not the rich and now life expectancy in Kenya may come down to 35 years as a result of not getting medical care. Please doctors rescue your duties to save Kenya. Remember this oath  you took -"The Hippocratic oath" is an oath historically taken by  physicians. It is one of the most widely known of Greek medical texts. In its original form, it requires a new physician to swear, by a number of  healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards of historic and traditional value, the oath is considered a rite of passage for practitioners of medicine in many countries, although nowadays various modernized versions are often used; the message delivered is still the same, "Do no Harm."
Hippocratic oath is often called the father of medicine in western culture   'I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of over treatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help. l hope this letter is a clarion call and it will melt your hearts for the love of Kenya your country and its citizens and act accordingly. Long live doctors !!!
By
Veronica Onjoro
Mombasa

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NI SABABU ZIPI ZINAZOFANYA MZUNGUMZAJI WA LUGHA KUFANYA MAKOSA YA KISARUFI NA KIMATAMSHI NA KIMANTIKI KATIKA LUGHA?

Methali, Vitendawili, nahau, misemo,

NADHARIA ZINAZOELEZEA CHIMBUKO LA FASIHI SIMULIZI/MASIMULIZI