These first few days of fasting are proving to be extremely difficult. I am exhausted before I even arrive at work. Waking up for sehree at 4.30am and then attempting to go back to sleep after Fajr at 5am, only to wake up at 7am to get ready for work - if that sounds tough, that's because it is! By the time I arrive to work after a 50 minute, 40 mile drive I am struggling to stay awake. Luckily, as usual, Friday is a half day and I shall be going home soon.
In the comments section to my blog on Wednesday, I was kindly given a link to this article in (of all places) The Sun. Mr MacKenzie accuses GPs effectively of being lazy because they don't work on weekends. I ask simply, why should they? Can you find an accountant, a lawyer or a solicitor on the weekend?
It's too easy to say GPs earn over £100,000 and therefore should be working at weekends. If you have a health concern over the weekend or during out-of-hours, do you really need a GP, or do you need to go to the hospital? In all likelihood, it's probably the latter. Not many people would like to give up their free-time on a weekend to discuss a minor health matter. The other side of this arguement is that for some people the weekend is the only time they have free. They are too busy to make an appointment with their GP during the week, but again I ask, if you needed to meet an accountant or a lawyer etc, you would make the time to do so during normal working hours during the week - why not the same for the GP? In fact, if the problem is serious enough, it shouldn't even be an issue.
People will also state that unlike accountants or lawyers, our salary is from the government, but who provided the opportunity for GPs to not work on weekends? The government. They offered, for the cost of roughly £6000, GPs the option of opting out of providing an out-of-hours service. Who wouldn't take that? This is then countered by claiming that the BMA were ruthless in their negotiations, but then why wouldn't they be? It is the governments role to stand up to them and they didn't - so don't bash the GPs over it.
Personally, I feel that GPs shouldn't have to work weekends and out-of hours during the week. If a health problem is serious enough during that time, people need the hospital, if it isn't then people should make time to see their GP during normal hours. It is not fair to suggest that GPs are lazy because they don't provide that service.
Moving on, and I think I've got enough energy for some general discussion before I sign off for the weekend. Over the past two weeks I have been keeping an eye on the Democratic and Republic conventions being held in the US. American politics is always funny to watch and these conventions even more so. I love how the crowd respond when big politicians give their keynote speeches. You only have to stand on the podium and say 'hello' for the crowd to erupt in cheers and screams. All the speeches are pretty much the same - full of grand rhetoric about 'making a change' and how one party is better than the other.
John McCain (the Republican nominee) harps on about his record and 'his scars' to prove he is ready in comparison to the 'unexperienced' Barack Obama (the Democratic nominee), but I'm sorry, how does having a so-called illustrious record in the Vietnam War prove that you are ready to lead? With the current Republican President holding such a low opinion in the American public, it's amazing that the Republican party are a threat in these upcoming elections, never mind the fact they are running neck and neck in the polls with the Democrats - surely only in America.
Hands up anyone who had heard of Sarah Palin before last week? Hands up if you had even heard of Alaska until last week? (I'm joking.) As the Republican's nominee for vice-President, her promotion was certainly a surprise - so much so that her Wikipedia page was only updated last week, with the quantity of information on it quadrupling. She gave a good account for herself on Wednesday - full of grand rhetoric, attacking Obama and generally getting a cheer and scream every 5 seconds.
Whilst all this has been going on, Obama played a masterstroke yesterday by agreeing to an interview on the Republican-backing FOX NEWS channel, interviewed by Bill O'Reilly, just prior to John McCain's keynote speech at the Republican convention last night. How frustrated must the news channel have been, knowing they had to cover a Democrat rather than focus on the upcoming Republican speech. Genius. Now, I am looking forward to the upcoming Presidential Debates as the election race heats up. Should be entertaining.
Lastly, what a crazy week it has been for football. Overnight, Manchester City became the richest club in the world when they were bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim, a man worth 10x more than Roman Abhramovich. There are now reports that the group will bid a whooping £135 million for Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United - now that would be something.
With all these takeovers, comes great pressure on the managers as proved this week when the managers of West Ham United and Newcastle United resigned, both for similar reasons - not having control of the clubs transfer policy. These owners are rich businessmen used to having their on way, making their own decisions. When they takeover football clubs, they can't tolerate someone else making the decisions on how to spend their money. Understandably, managers won't tolerate this interference, especially as when things go wrong the blame will be placed on them, and therefore, this creates an unworkable situation. The owners have the power but crave the glory. Unfortunately, until the rich businessman happens to also be a football manager, it just won't work. Now, who will agree to manage these clubs - actually, I'm sure they'll find someone happy to work in these circumstances for the right salary - everyone has a price.
That just about wraps things up for this week, just as well as I can now go home and get some sleep. Next week hopefully my energy levels will improve and I can discuss some of the amusing patients I've had this week. More about that later.
Take care all,
Thoughts just flow, when do they have to make sense?
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6 comments:
'If a health problem is serious enough during that time, people need the hospital, if it isn't then people should make time to see their GP during normal hours.'
you suggest at length at how people should visit the hospital if they have health problems either on weekends or when you are not working. but surely if everyone listened to your advice, our already overcrowded hospitals would be pushed to breaking point. i dont know the last time you went to a hospital as a patient, but i can tell you from experience, the wait to be seen and treated is horrendous.
additionally, in previous blogs you describe the petty reasons people come to you. im sure doctors and nurses have more serious problems to worry about than the ones you gp's recieve.
finally, i was watching the london news a couple of days ago, and they were reporting on how people have to wait up to two weeks to book an appointment. so when you say 'people should make time to see their GP during normal hours', maybe it is not as simple as that. also, maybe you should consider that if gp's, like most of the people they see, worked on weekends, there wouldn't be this ridiculous waiting list to be seen.
furthermore, when you say, quite arrogantly, 'people should make time' don't you realise many of your patients have jobs of their own, in which they are most likely not being paid half of what you earn? and to take time off work to visit you in the week, may not be financially possible to them?
Thank you for visiting and thank you for your comments.
1)Hospitals and PCTs provide an out-of-hours service apart from A&E. Like Mr MacKenzie in his article states, he visited a nurse out-of-hours and recieved the treatment he needed. A GP was not required.
Hospitals offer out-of-hours GPs, and if the problem is serious enough, the GPs send the patients to hospital anyway. It's not GPs fault that hospitals are run inefficiently or that you have to wait for a long time to be seen.
2)If patients have petty reasons to see a GP, why should that be out-of-hours or on the weekend? Why can't that be during normal working hours? I agree that they shouldn't attend the hospital to be seen during that time.
3)Most GP surgeries have emergency slots daily to see urgent cases - it just won't be with your regular GP.
Admittedly if you want to see your own GP, or a particular GP, appointments can take upto 2 weeks, and a better solution is needed.
4)I am not trying to be arrogant, and I apologise if that's how it comes across. You don't see accountants, lawyers or solicitors on the weekends and they earn very healthy wages without receiving the same amount of criticism.
GPs didn't decide the wages, the government did, so why do GPs keep getting the flak for negotiating a good deal with the government?
The government were not conned or coerced. The BMA argued the case for GPs and the government agreed the contract.
Watford Man says:
I have to agree with Mr 'Indifferent' (who is clearly not what his name suggests). Hospitals are overcrowded and A&E shouldn't become a substitute for the GP surgery. Also, what are 'normal hours'? Most people work 9-5 and therefore by the time they get home from work, you and the rest of your overpaid ilk have already buggered off home to watch Prison Break. Oh, and the difference between accountants/lawyers and doctors is that the former are not public servants, whereas the latter are.
Btw, good stuff on the US elections. All very true and very funny about Alaska/Palin. Keep it up!
I hope, that by my comments I haven't upset you but if I have I sincerly appologise. I just want to make clear that I was not having a go at you, but was simply disagreeing with a small part of your blog, (which I find very interesting nonetheless!!!!). Keep up the good work!
No offence taken whatsoever - I welcome the comments! At the end of the day I have to defend GPs. You and others are entitled to your opinions. Do I know you btw?
Thanks for visiting.
all in good time, all in good time.......
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