The primary duty of every health practitioner is to save lives, an oath solemnly sworn. It is a known principle that serves as a foundation for every established health care centre. There is statement that has become popular in recent times, it says "Morals can't pay the bills" practically, it is true. The statement is definitely worrisome but in few words, it explains the complexities of founding a sector on a principle or code or objective that is not provided for.
You don't preach to a starving man, in the health sector, this is the reality every medical practitioner faces. How do they stay true to their primary objectives of saving lives, of prioritizing human lives; when there is no available resources to do the needful or when the establishment says different. For most medical practitioner, they all work for an establishment. Which do you think will come first, the rules of the hospital/clinic or oath sworn by a medical practitioner.
It is only when both align, that is when the oath of saving lives becomes practicable. But when the rules of the hospital says, bills must be settled before anything else comes to light, oath will definitely take the back sit. It is very easy to blame medical practitioner and the establishment they work for, since everyone is just fighting for their own interest. Every patient wants to be saved, no one wants their loved one to die but hospitals/clinics attending to patients, are just trying to survive too.
Every resources being used to attend to patients come at a very high cost, a consequence of the negligence of our own government. So when a patient is taken to an hospital and the staffs start trying to sort the Bills through proper documentation of the patient, they are just following the rules/protocols given to them by the establishment, they didn't create the rules, they are just following it.
It is their jobs to save lives but it is also their responsibility to keep their jobs to provide for themselves and their families. Believe me, the opposite will be the case if a medical practitioner decide to ignore the rules, they will find themselves in serious lawsuit issues and lacking a source of income. Even those in government owned healthcare services, have their own rules. Since it is for the government, they shouldn't worry about the Bills but they do.
Do you know why? a lot of government owned healthcare centre are self sustained. That is how worst the healthcare services have gotten to, with little or nothing from the government, they still function on funds gotten from services rendered. I mean it is easier to blame a underperforming dog, why not try to feed the dog first before passing judgement.
It is definitely sad to witness a loved one being ignored and denied of health care services but this issues are deeply rooted in lack of resources and the decay in government. These health workers are also humans, some of them are being owed salaries and yet they still manage to show up. Before passing blames we should try to understand the root of the issue, the oath to save lives becomes subjective and less effective when there is no paid free health insurance from the government.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled In for the money in hive learners community.
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