Thursday, March 06, 2014

live & let live


i know times are hard...


and this headline doesn't help.

most of my colleagues aren't rubbing their hands in glee because they don't strictly follow the fee schedule, ie. they don't charge the maximum allowable, because of the fierce fee competition amongst doctors. many of my GPs colleagues are struggling to make a decent living. those with huge cars & houses are mostly in established practices & are in the panels of doctors for factories & other businesses; many others are not in these "lucrative" panels. well, it's not exactly lucrative as these factories also try to squeeze a deal with the doctors - with so many clinics now, they will go for ones with the lowest cost.

i'm not saying the increase aren't justified - no increase in prices will ever please the majority. if you've ever been admitted to a private hospital, you will realise that the doctors' portion of the total bill range between 25-35%, while the hospital charges are NOT regulated. one hospital charges rm3.30 just to serve medication. multiply that by the number of tablets a day and the number of patients served & you'll realise who else has been reaping the rich rewards of private healthcare!

all i want to say is, live & let live.

when astro increased the price of their packages, i cancelled the movie subscription. when TNB increase their tariff, i stopped using the air-con on cooler nites. everytime McD adjusts the price of their value meals, i patronise it even less.

live & let live.

4 comments:

mun said...

So when doctors increased their price, will you stopped visiting them and self medicate instead? Erh, actually you are a doctor so you can very well self medicate without any harm. For the general public, do you think they should self medicate if they do not require the important piece of mc for sick leave?

The thumb in every pie said...

Good wake-up call for ppl to take better care of their health; me included.

doc said...

Mun,

some things you just can't do it yourself, like car servicing. just have to pay the mechanic whatever he charges.

minor discomfort can be self-medicated, like fever, headaches & backaches, but if these persist for a few days, no choice but to see the doctor.

doc said...

Andrea,

overeating is a killer!!