Medical camps

Something to get off my chest.

Have you ever hear of "medical camps"? I loathe to hear this term nowadays. This is an overused, overhyped nonsense by people with other agendas. Which really degrades the medical profession to the core making it like a cheap pasar malam.

Many NGOs and religious organization nowadays often have this "medical camps" programme and "catches" doctors to go and "volunteer" for the camps.

First of all : Do they think doctors are free labour ka?

Secondly : The "medical camps" I attended so far, the medical part of it was NEVER the real agenda. The real agenda is to promote that organization, so that somebody can get a name, so that they have an "aktiviti tahunan" to put into their yearbook, take photos and chit-chat. The members go to these camps with fashionable clothes, bringing cameras, kids, chips, sodas, mats whatever you name it- like a picnic!

These "medical camps" are a disgrace as so far as real medical care is concern. I as a physician was utterly embarrassed to be associated with such events. Not only it is a wish wash sort of thing, there was never any real concern for medical care. Panadols were distributed like candies with people coming asking for painkillers, vitamins, antibiotics etc like a UNHCR free food handout programme. No privacy nor adequate time was allocated for real medical consultation, advice and examination. There weren't even adequate equipment for examination. Even if serious medical conditions were uncovered there were no real plan to get these people to follow up in a hospital on a regular basis. Most of the time, it's just writing a referral or a one off transport to the nearest health centre. I mean if these people can go to a hospital by themselves on a regular basis, we wouldn't be going in to see them!

One may argue the aim is to screen for diseases not to treat them on the spot. So what?...

For example if one found a person to be severely hypertensive, that person needs to get medication and follow up regularly. If a person has cataracts, that person needs to go for an eye examination and treatment AND follow up review (it's not like changing car tyres for crying out loud!). IT IS NO POINT SCREENING FOR SOMETHING WHEN NOTHING REAL CAN BE DONE LATER. It is a wasting everybody's time except the organizers. I might as well go fishing in the river instead...

Another argument is that, the aim is not to treat but to relieve symptoms, relieve pain etc. Yes, if the person has chronic pain are you going to give him a sack of panadol to last him a year till you return next year? Assuming panadol does not have side effects...

Ah and the famous...bla bla bla..to comfort always. So you are gonna spend 30 seconds per patient saying emphatically "I understand your pain you are going through..." and feeling good about it?

It would be more acceptable to me if these "medical camps" were labelled as " basic health education programme" or something like that. Give some slippers, toothbrush, proper stove to boil water etc...will be much more beneficial. Even giving deworming pills and lice treatment is not really helpful, they will get reinfected in no time!!!

Btw how come there are no "free legal camps?" Or free "architectural camps?" or free" engineering camps"? Or free "motocycle repair camps?" Or free "electrical wiring camps?" Or free "teaching English camps"? Why? coz doctors "must be compassionate, so must give free" ka?

It is so embarassing for me as a physician to go for these so called "medical camps" looking at all the bullshit "medical consultation" to the poorly educated folks.

Ok. That's all for today folks.