To the populace,
I, who began my adult life spending alternate days with
corpses, who carry bones in my bags and books that
break my back. Who spend the prime of my youth in the
grime of wards. Who have already witnessed a lifetime’s
share of deaths. Who learn about depression but fail to
recognise it in myself......i have this to say:
YES,I swore to the hippocratic oath,
NO my job is not humanitarian (verb: Concerned with or
seeking to promote human welfare, Noun: a person who
seeks to promote human welfare,a philantropist),I am
humanitarian because I am a human being not because I
am a medical doctor.
YES I became a medical doctor because I love people,I
love to see the sick get well,I love to see people happy,I
love to serve people.
YES I am a medical doctor because I am not after money,
I will be humanitarian as a medical doctor if you will full
fill some trivial conditions:
When its time to pay my rent my landlord should waive it
When I want to go to work in the morning,I should pick
any car from my car dealer neighbour who should also
waive the price tag.
When I take my son to school the proprietress should
waive the fees.
When my wife needs cloths the boutique should waive the
price tags.
When we get to the market,the market women should give
us foodstuffs for free.
Petrol stations should always fill my tank without a price
to it.
My aged parents and other dependants should be well
taken care of.
Do this and I will be humanitarian as a medical doctor.
But when you folks hear that I am a medical doctor you
double the price of your wares,and when I ask you why
you say 'sebi you be doctor'.
When i ask for a commiserate pay for my skill and
work,you fling humanitarian on the table,you dangle
hippocratic oath in front of me.
when death knocks at the door, I am looked upon as a
god. When i accept the challenge,I am looked upon as an
angel. When the patient is cured,I am looked upon as a
common person. When i ask for my fee, i become the
devil.
I went on strike to protest the state of my beloved
profession,to ask the chief servants of the country to right
all the wrongs,so my father,mother,sister,friends and
neighbours will stop going to India to get vitamin Bco,
I protested so the health sector will be one of the best in
the world,
I protested so my kids will have good specialists to care
for them tomorrow not half baked ones.
What did I get instead,my neighbours insulting me,my non
medical doctor friends sneering at me,my government
sacking me suspending my training and jeopardising the
medical future of my family, signing the death sentence of
the people they swore to protect.
Wait we have been talking about me,let's talk about you:
I remember the last time your son was ill and you brought
him to the private hospital where I was working,there I
was in the consulting room and the first question you
asked me was 'are you a paediatrician'?.I said no and you
walked out with your precious little prince to shop for a
paediatrician,now your explorer is hale and healthy.
Let's go back to the hospital,this paediatrician if he has
been sacked a couple of years ago,if residency training
program has been suspended by previous administrations
he will not be available for you today and what would
have become of your bundle of joy?.
The government sacked residents and suspended
residency training and you were jubilating saying' that
serves them right,pompous and egoistic fellows,do away
with them,who are they sef'?Give us Barnabas!!!!
I will not explain to you how it will come back and bite
you,but definately it will.
I am a medical doctor,I am proud of my knowledge,I will
fuel my ego with my skill,my hands are gifted and with the
skill I will get wealth.
Dr.Femi Obafemi
Dept.of medical microbiology and parasitology
UCH Ibadan

I wrote this because I was let down by those I look up to and I am pained right now because there is no reprieve.

phemy2kme:
I wrote this because I was let down by those I look up to and I am pained right now because there is no reprieve.

keep up the good fight. Victory will surely come one day.