Luiz1:
Any other profession? Ha ha! Programmers, there u have it. These folks sit down all day staring at boring screens.

funmisticqueen:

did they spend seven years in school, can they save lives. You are not making any point at all. Do you know how many colleagues doctors have lost to ebola, hepatits B, hiv becos they were treating infected people, some of you would say who sent us message but the truth is that if we dont do it no one else will. The only people that will regret being a doctor are those who practice in nigeria and those who were forced to do medicine because your mindset concerning us is appalling.

clems88:
If I read it make I lay egg

prof1999:
It was fashionable while I was growing up to see parents choose the career path of their children and wards. You’renot going to “amount to anything” if you’re seen reading a single honours course in the university. Parents boast about their children reading medicine, engineering and law; you’ll be forgiven as a young student if you think the university is all about these courses.But over time, things started changing when business administration and related courses started taking the front burner buoyed by the emergence of “wonder banks” and other fast means of making money. Suddenly values that we hold dear started eroding as “making money” became the norm. Nobody cares anymore how the moneywas made, all that matters is that you are rich.That was the beginning of the ‘demystification’ of medicine, engineering and law. Why bother spending years in the university when you’re not sure of what the future hold became pronounced. People started questioning whether reading these courses was worth all the troubles afterall.Last week I met a young medical doctorwho expressed regrets for studying medicine and qualifying as a doctor. “If I had a singing talent like Dr. Sid I wouldhave jettisoned my stethoscope for the music scene,” he said to my surprise. For the records, Sidney Onoriode Esiri, who goes by the stage name, Dr. Sid is aNigerian singer, songwriter and dentist.We discussed at length for more than an hour because this came as a shock to me especially as I have always held doctors in very high regard and would have loved to be one had I been a science student. This is because my lifestyle, comportment, deep reading culture and discipline correlate with what makes a good doctor.As I struggled to encourage this young doctor that he has nothing to regret, mymind went back almost fifteen years ago to a discussion I had with a doctor friend while I was still in the university. This doctor also expressed regrets at the poor human resources planning and structures, unsatisfactory working conditions, poor remuneration, and fewprofessional development opportunities back then. I am made to understand that this is even worse today.When he saw the “progress” his colleagues who read Economics and Business Administration were making during the banking “boom” of the Abacha era, he told me he was in “the wrong profession.” In my young mind then, I remembered telling him that all that was happening was a bubble that will burst someday. And true to my prediction, the bubble did burst and myolder friend said I should consider calling myself a prophet!During that period, 19 banks collapsed leading to the Failed Banks Decree promulgated by late General Sani Abacha which was decreed into law to teach Nigerian bankers who mess with depositors fund a lesson. Unfortunately, there were other bank failures later before the sanity we are now witnessing. When I related all these, the young man felt a bit relieved,especially as I pointed out that even thepresent day society does not see the doctor as “relevant” as they were up to the 90s.After much probing, I discovered that he truly love the profession even though the stress associated with it is not commensurate with the financial rewards. “As a medical doctor, it’s an endless journey of reading and personal development. There are new discoveries almost on a daily basis and if you do not keep track you’ll be left behind. Keeping track means you have to prepare and pass your professional examinations otherwise there’ll be no room for advancement,” he told me, “but one of my major problems is the way the society treats doctors.”I agreed with him. If you doubt that take a look around and see how the society is now obsessed with “celebrities” of various hues and shapes; some are even instant celebrities because they participate in ashow or event or feature in a movie. The society doesn’t even bother if an individual is an illiterate moneybag, corrupt public official or a person of dubious character. It is no longer a secret that this has been taken notches further when such individuals are awarded honorary doctorate degrees by our universities. These are the “doctors” our society recognises and adore!One stark reality about contemporary Nigeria is the dearth of reliable statistics for research and planning; thisreality permeates almost every facet of our national life. Take the doctor patient ratio for instance. Nigeria, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) currently posts a poor doctor-patient ratio of 1:3500 as against the standard of 1:600. It also said the entire medical schools graduate between 3,500 and 4,000 new doctors annually. Another statistics has 1:6500 doctor-patient ratios.One would expect a call to action irrespective of which ratio is used because we have a dare situation in ourhands, but that does not seem to be an issue here like in other things. It is the Ebola issue that seems to shake us out of our lethargy. The doctors showed their magnanimity by suspending their strike. I think this period should providethe opportunity for the government and the society to seriously look into some of the issues the doctors tabled before their strike action.Delivering a lecture titled “Medical Education in Nigeria: The Quest for World Standards and Local relevance,” held at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in 2012, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu said only 5 percent of applicants gainedadmission to read medicine. Of these, 2,701 trained in Nigeria left the country to other countries to work in the last four years prior to 2012.It is amazing that with this exodus of our doctors we don’t seem to get it. Dr. Amayo Adadavoh and other doctors who have remained and have now died as a result of Ebola are professionals who have spent years in training. The late Dr. Adadavoh was a consultant, and do we really know what it takes for a doctor to become a consultant? We have lost, and may still lose some of our finest professionals because of the way we treat them.It is not rocket science to understand why some of them are leaving as the working conditions is getting worse, thereby making other countries more attractive. Some of our doctors are presently working in the US, Britain, South Africa, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago and other neigbouring African countries that treat their medical personnel better.Whenever I encounter medical practitioners and I see the evident lack of rewards for people who save lives, I always feel pained. To compound issues, whenever they demand what should ordinarily be their entitlement after spending years in medical school and a longer period preparing for otherprofessional examinations, society is quick to condemn and remind them of their obligation to the same society thathas scant regards for their own plights.Recollect that prior to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) suspending its strike, there appears to be nothing, either from the people in government or those of us outside, to show that we appreciate the fact that lives of ordinary Nigerians are already hanging in the balance as a result of the strike by doctors working in public health institutions across the country. But does it matter in a system so perverted that public officials now make it a culture that they are travelling abroad for simple medical check-up that can bedone in Nigeria?My advice to young Nigerian students who have the love of the profession at heart is this: Go ahead and read medicine in the university because it will always remain a noble and dignifiedprofession. You should not look up to society or the government for your fulfillment; just follow the conviction of your heart. Everything about life cannotbe viewed from the narrow prism of money. There are still things money cannever buy, and being a qualified medical doctor is one of such.

megareal:
I really have no pity for Nigerian Doctors because they have no pity for their patients. They milk you dry in private practices and abandon you to your fate in Govt. hospitals.

I've heard various tales of people who died due to the insenitivity of Drs. Some even disappear for hours during their call time and fail to be reached during crisis.

Agreed, the workman is worthy of his hire, but it seems the Nigerian case is about making money first.

If you have no love for humanity , you shouldn't be a Dr in the first place.

Luiz1:
So Medicine is the only profession that comes with professional hazards ?

divinelove:
Chai med/surg stds u need to see them as students they feel they r next to God. But most after practising for 20 yrs still live in rented apartments.

Anyway let's follow our passion no profession is better than the other we need everyone on board the shoe maker abo.ki is as important as a medical doctor.

Whatever u do make sure u make enough money for u and ur family to live a good life, money answers everything in life

I have nt consulted a doctor in nearly a decade, not when i kw almost all the drugs for malaria and typhoid I only see my lab man and pharmacy shop when needed

Joavid:


Doctors handle human beings, lives. not programmers.

You definitely are not a good programmer. A good programmer can't compare the two professions.

Luiz1:
Any other profession? Ha ha! Programmers, there u have it. These folks sit down all day staring at boring screens.

funmisticqueen:

stop being so myopic.

funmisticqueen:

ignoramus, how many years does it take to be a programmer, doctors dont sit around all day, they stand, walk and run all day, they dont stare at bloody screens, do they work on weekends and public holidays by default. That is how some people fail waec

Cyberfreak:
Soldiers are more valuable than Nigerian medical doctors. These days even chemists can do their job because they are half baked passion less quacks, making up to 80% of medical profession. At least soldiers put their lives on the line almost everyday to protect others.

That's how I went to the hospital for a sickness I already knew I had and the doctor was writing all manner of tests and x-rays and CT scan for me because he didn't have an inkling of what the problem was.

Those people are just annoying and pompous. Many of them make fatal errors when treating patients then turn round to blame the patient for not taking drugs or doing something else to cause it. Ordinary cataract surgery a relative went for they ended up blinding the man and they didn't take responsibility for that either. But when it's time to brag and raise shoulder they are experts.

Luiz1:
Nonsense spewer.... Did any one force u?

project55:
I heard buhari is like bones

noavailablename:
hmmm....


Note worthy




meanwhile, my first time on the FP since 2014.

RaptObserver:
so what should teachers say? As important as a teacher is to the society, they are the least respected and are owed several months of salaries, yet they still do their jobs diligently even with little pay.

Cyberfreak:
Soldiers are more valuable than Nigerian medical doctors. These days even chemists can do their job because they are half baked passion less quacks, making up to 80% of medical profession. At least soldiers put their lives on the line almost everyday to protect others.

That's how I went to the hospital for a sickness I already knew I had and the doctor was writing all manner of tests and x-rays and CT scan for me because he didn't have an inkling of what the problem was.

Those people are just annoying and pompous. Many of them make fatal errors when treating patients then turn round to blame the patient for not taking drugs or doing something else to cause it. Ordinary cataract surgery a relative went for they ended up blinding the man and they didn't take responsibility for that either. But when it's time to brag and raise shoulder they are experts.

Luiz1:
Did I mention that am a programmer? Nevertheless, u need to appreciate that other professions are equally important. A single bug in a medical software can affect a doctor's diagnosis. An error with a line of code can result in air plane crash and loss of countless lives. What abt the soldiers that lay their lives on the line to defend ur Country's territorial integritty? So, these guys are not equally important just because doctors interact directly with humans?

funmisticqueen:

1. 7+ x years of med school including strikes, failed exams, etc
2. Dealing with human lives, even 7 years isn't enough to know everything about the human body, even as a consultant meaning you have to spend at least 15 yrs in school, new diseases come up everyday and you have to keep reading.
3. We dont run semester courses, school is year in year out, 24 hrs, on sundays and during christmas. Yes we go to school at night and still find time to read and pass. Tell me any other non medical course that can boast of that.
4. We doctors know that our profession is noble that is why we raise our head high. Med school changes the way you think

Luiz1:
Did I mention that am a programmer? Nevertheless, u need to appreciate that other professions are equally important. A single bug in a medical software can affect a doctor's diagnosis. An error with a line of code can result in air plane crash and loss of countless lives. What abt the soldiers that lay their lives on the line to defend ur Country's territorial integritty? So, these guys are not equally important just because doctors interact directly with humans?

funmisticqueen:

nobody did, but if i dont do it who will? You? if so then why didnt u read medicine ehn. It is a course for the creme de la creme which u obviously are not. Mtscheeeeeew

Luiz1:
There u go again revealing the sorry content u av uptairs. Its too brain tasking for u to understand that career choice should be determined by passion nd not societal or peer pressure. Am sorry 4 d school that gave u a medical certificate.

Luiz1:
There u go again revealing the sorry content u av uptairs. Its too brain tasking for u to understand that career choice should be determined by passion nd not societal or peer pressure. Am sorry 4 d school that gave u a medical certificate.

dealchamps:
This early morning? Person no go go church again with all this epistle

mployer:


Keep fooling yourself. The Society has decided to treat you like a normal profession you are. You have to get used to it.

Luiz1:
He themed his article on his regret as a Medical doctor, he discussed how his friend [ not him ] regreted being a Medical doctor. He concluded with the 'lofty' prestige and influence that come with being a Medical doctor.

divinelove:
Chai med/surg stds u need to see them as students they feel they r next to God. But most after practising for 20 yrs still live in rented apartments.

Anyway let's follow our passion no profession is better than the other we need everyone on board the shoe maker abo.ki is as important as a medical doctor.

Whatever u do make sure u make enough money for u and ur family to live a good life, money answers everything in life

I have nt consulted a doctor in nearly a decade, not when i kw almost all the drugs for malaria and typhoid I only see my lab man and pharmacy shop when needed