Last week, a sign on the door of my doctor's surgery:
"If you have swine flu can you please reschedule."
Today, in the Age:
Doctor attacks official response to flu outbreak
Dr Eizenberg said it was unacceptable to expose unprotected doctors and nurses to infection. "Unless the issues … are adequately addressed, I fear many GPs may limit their services during current and future influenza pandemics (to) treating patients who do not have (flu-like symptoms)."
Anecdotally, he said, GPs in Melbourne's northern suburbs had already refused to see patients reporting flu symptoms.
To be fair to my doctor, he is a dermatologist, not a Jeep.
I was getting my crackling treated.
Boom. Tish.
Dr eizenberg could supply the appropriate protective gear and store appropriate medication and take his own precautions rather than rent seeking from the dead hand of goverment.
Nick
(jeep)
Posted by: Nick | 03 July 2009 at 15:52
Dermatologist?
Logically, the category on his notice should then extend to leprosy, german measles, chicken pox, Karposi's, malaria, TB etc etc.
I have always thought that a GPs waiting area is No Place For A Sick Person.
Everything that turned Michael Jackson into Wacko Jacko started at ... the dermatologists.
Will pay your post-heading ... so totally. mwah mwah
Posted by: brownie | 03 July 2009 at 17:20
Wait a minute...
"Dr Eizenberg said it was unacceptable to expose unprotected doctors and nurses to infection."
Aren't they TRAINED and PAID to to treat people suffering ailments and diseases, etc?
When did the humble GP become an over-educated, leisure-loving, golf-playing, Mercedes-driving non-worker?
What's going on!
Its you JOB man... Hippocratic oath and all that guff.
Posted by: TKYCraig | 03 July 2009 at 17:55
"Aren't they TRAINED and PAID to to treat people suffering ailments and diseases, etc?"
No, GPs aren't equipped to deal with potential contagions. A typical GP's office is not a sterile environment. GP's main functions are to write prescriptions and refer people to specialist medical professionals in the event of something that requires intensive treatment.
Any time you have anything more serious that a common cold, all a GP will ever do is refer you to someone else. A GP's office isn't a hospital, it's not a sterile environment, and treating people with swine flu exposes not only the GPs themselves but all their other patients as well.
Posted by: Yobbo | 03 July 2009 at 21:33
Can I be your gp? Sound great!
Posted by: Nick | 03 July 2009 at 21:58
Aren't they TRAINED and PAID to to treat people suffering ailments and diseases, etc?
When did the humble GP become an over-educated, leisure-loving, golf-playing, Mercedes-driving non-worker?
What's going on!
Its you JOB man... Hippocratic oath and all that guff.
We MOCK what we don't understand.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 09 July 2009 at 13:30
Biggy.
Say ahhhhhh.
Cough.
Thank you.
Posted by: Tony | 09 July 2009 at 16:52