Indexing Title:  RJPeralta’s Medical Anecdotal Report 08-06
MAR Title: Package Deal
Date of Observation:  August 2008

One  duty night prior to an OR day, one of the clerks referred to me a case of a 54/M diagnosed as Calculous of the Gallbladder without other cholecystitis.  The patient is scheduled for cholecystectomy the next day.  He is not complaining of any medical problem but because he don’t want to buy an IV fluid, macroset and an abbocath because according to him, he is a private patient of the hospital director and he had a package deal with him.

What?!  Am  I hearing this right? 

Being on duty before an OR day is really very physically taxing running after lab results, referring to other department.  It is just like preparing for a party.  Everything must be smoothened out, everything has to be satisfied just to get a certain patient pre meds. 

And now this?!

I approached the patient and his wife and talked to them about our perennial problem of not having the things that we needed.  But they demanded that the hospital director reiterated to them that once they are admitted they won’t shell out anything.   Plus they have a package deal with the hospital director.

To end this problem, I bought the things he needed and carry on with what I’m doing.  I don’t know  who bought the rest.

Insight: (Physical, Ethical, Psychosocial)
(Discovery, Reinforcement, Stimulus)

Being a resident in a tertiary hospital offers many advantages training wise but even more frustrations anyone could imagine.   Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center is a very political hospital.  Shameful.  Very shameful.  I know it is hard to admit but the hospital, instead of catering to less fortunate Manilans and non Manilans alike is becoming an instrument of politicians, of persons in power for their personal interest.  It is really very frustrating and as a junior resident, to be honest, I really don’t know what to do.  I feel that this people are using us for their personal gain.

Is there something that could be done about this situation when the person involved is the highest ranking official in the hospital?  I know in doing this I may not have a job tomorrow but are we to tolerate this?

At some point in time, as physicians, we will be placed in the seat of power.  Be it as a senior resident, a department chairman, or even the hospital director.  What are we to do with the power given to us?  The ethics of our profession dictates that we use it for delivery of good health care, not to a privileged few, but to everyone, most especially those who cannot afford it.