TAN Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has disappointed not only thousands of contract doctors but all concerned citizens as well.
In the wee hours before the announced protest to be staged by our nation’s young doctors, the director-general, who is rightfully their steersman at the hull, rushed out his plea to call off the protest.
He proclaimed the oath of primum non nocere (first, do no harm) to patients, in an effort to stall the protest over unmet work and career conditions that have long left our aspiring, young and talented doctors in the lurch.
He made our doctors seem like selfish, uncaring, irresponsible lawbreakers ditching lives in wards.
Tan Sri, citizens have heaped praises upon you as you stepped forward in the early stages of our battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a climate of uncertainties and ridicule where your boss was peddling warm water therapies, you chose the path of greater professionalism. You gave us confidence in our fight against the unseen enemy wreaking havoc in the world.
It is not an exaggeration to state that it was the people’s endorsement of your leadership role – including all the medical and healthcare human capital behind you who are the ones battling the virus from the dangerous and risk-inherent front lines – that earned you the coveted Tan Sri title.
In fact, the continued trust of the nation’s populace would have also contributed to your inclusion into the World Health Organisation executive board recently.
Unfortunately, at the eleventh hour of a failing government response to the pleas and plight of our young, able and promising contract doctors, you have ditched them all with your plea of primum non nocere instead.
In doing so, you are now being perceived as a turncoat.
It should never have happened, especially when your own boss has made things very difficult for you with his numerous counts of laughable, ridiculous statements, actions (and inactions).
Instead of standing up and defending your crucial crew members, you have undeniably fallen into the same pit of health personnel who have dished out threats of disciplinary actions against doctors who joined the protest.
Like many Malaysians, I, too, register my pain over your unexpected disposition.
Malaysians recognise the risks, sacrifices and patriotic role played by these young doctors throughout this pandemic.
Many of us who have sons and daughters who are contract doctors know too well how these examplary citizens place patient care before self-safety as they slog for hours, days, weeks and months and under extreme work conditions.
No sleep. Irregular meals including skipping break times. Exhaustion. Mental and emotional fatigue. Lack of PPE even. Our young doctors battled through all these adverse conditions and impossibilities, even though they knew they are being enlisted without permanent employment but merely to respond to a human, national crisis.
Respectfully, on behalf of the swelling number of citizens who have shared their displeasure on social media, I ask, how could you have failed our doctors?
If there is anyone who ought to know and acknowledge the genuine, real and unacceptable plight of these doctors, it has to be you.
What have you done for these soldiers who are not quiting from their patriotic, risk inherent front-line roles, despite being given raw deals under claims of “no budget” by the government?
Look at the salaries and perks being paid out to our World’s Largest Cabinet members, political appointees and – not forgetting – the profits raked in by business set-ups to battle Covid-19.
Look at the huge financial losses owing to mismanagement and corruption being bailed out using public funds. How can “no budget” be the punishment for killing medical talent?
What are you going to do for the young doctors when you know too well too that directors are plotting a volley of disciplinary actions against the protesting doctors?
And, what will you do now to safeguard your own team of frontliners as the police are also investigating, under restrictive movement control order laws?
Of late, the public has been even sympathising with you, given the loss of confidence in your boss.
But your eleventh hour action in ditching your platoon is unacceptable by any measure, sir.
You could have done far better while the nation continues to witness more failures in the government’s Covid-19 battle plans. – The Vibes, August 2, 2021
J.D. Lovrenciear reads The Vibes
