Assistant Medical Officer

1. I was commenting on the issue of 1malaysia clinic where some management from the assistant medical officer in charge there is not (sometimes) correct. I have seen this matter in hospital everyday especially paediatric posting. Yup, maybe i am just a medical student who are going but still not become a doctor, but i am trying to learn whatever is wrong and right and in medicine, there is no such thing as i am senior or junior or i eat salt first but it would depend on how much 'salt' you ingest...

2. I already talk about this in my previous post that we cannot say that old people would always be right because they was born first but in the era of mass exposure to mass media and information technology, a 10 years old children would no more about the world compare to 70 years old who even did not know how to turn on a computer.

3. So regarding the assistant medical officer problem, one person ( i guess AMO) emailed me and tell a long description regarding their role in Malaysia. He would say that they are playing role as paramedic, physician assistant and sometime a nurse and also play a role of a doctor in the rural area and 1malaysia clinic like i would bother about this. I don't. Because for me, what i concern of is the patient and not myself or other medical care giver whether they are suffering or working long hours and get little payment. Maybe this issue (salary and working hour) also need to be raised but patient is the main concern.

4. What is the meaning of giving a wrong instruction of ORS to dehydrated children, and to ask not to feed a child much @ don't give sweet thing to a child to prevent seizure? (hypoglycaemia can cause seizure for sure). The management can harm the patient. This is what my concern a really about. Not the suffering of medical care giver.

5. So thing need to be changed, slowly if not rapidly. People should realize that this matter should not be continued. If we are lack of doctors, don't harm patient by letting person who are not one to manage our people. It is better if you say someone die because no doctor around rather than someone die because 'doctor' kill him.


p/s: I would emphasize here that the role of A.M.O in Malaysia is so important, could not agree more. They have to cover the work of a medical officer because we are lack of medical officer. I also realize that many assistant medical officer are going for further training to make themselves competent to play this big role. However, i would say that nothing is perfect. Must be some of them who are not competent. Same goes to doctors. But, if doctors are incompetent, it is their fault. But if a patient were harmed because assistant medical officer incompetency, it is not their fault, but the system. 1malaysia clinic still inappropriate at this time.