Spare a thought for the sick

If government fails to meet its side of the bargain as promised—which seems likely—the situation is bound to turn nasty. Doctors and nurses may opt to withdraw their services in total or decide to do a go slow until their demands are met. Even if they do neither, service delivery at public health institutions will inevitably suffer.

There is no way demoralised staff will provide optimal service. Poor working conditions bring with them too many disruptions and distractions. Let’s not forget that doctors and nurses are parents and breadwinners too. They have many things to worry about if their remuneration is acutely inadequate – as is the case.. The bottom line is, government as their employer must do what it has to do to meet its obligations to ensure optimal participation from the medical staff.

While the crisis at hospitals unfolds, the ultimate victims are the patients, most of whom are forced to use public health facilities because they are too poor to afford private sector services. Industrial action will lead to the deterioration of services offered. Queues will grow and the skeletal staff that is normally left to deal with patients will be overwhelmed. Critical medical expertise, particularly the doctors, will look for the extra dollar in private practice. Patients are likely to receive minimal attention from the health practitioners, who may also be tempted to steal drugs and equipment as we have heard in the past.

Government must consider the patients as vulnerable objects in the unfolding strife. There is need to cushion them as far as possible from the impact of growing tension, uncertainty and conflict at hospitals. While doctors and nurses are justified in calling for what is due to them, they should also consider the plight of their patients. We know that all of them have been taught the Hippocratic Oath – and this ethical principle is most crucial in times of crisis.

So, whatever they do, they must refrain from inflicting harm on the sick and minimise it wherever possible. Similarly, government must prioritise the crisis in the health sector by urgently mobilising resources to meet the medical staff’s demands. The army needs to be on standby to step in if the health practitioners take the unpalatable decision to withdraw their services.