1/02/2009

The Hippocratic Code

This is one of the most honourable code of any profession in modern society. I believe those who swear by it still believe in it and would like to uphold this code of conduct. The Code upholds the value of life, not money. What is happening to the medical profession is that it is being turned into a money making machine, a very efficient and ruthless one at that, by the people running it as a business. Today, being admitted into a hospital, even a privatised govt hospital, do not be surprised with a bill that goes above $30k or $100k or even more. The amount to be paid for a month or two in a hospital is enough to buy a 3rm HDB flat! The question is whether the medical professionals who swore by the Hippocratic Code have any say in how the profession is being turned into a money making machine in direct conflict with what the Code sets it out to be? The doctors were very highly regarded as honourable men with a noble passion to save lives and heal the sick. It will be very sad and disappointing should their reputation be tarnished by this madness to milk as much money as possible from the sick and helpless. These are people who are in a desperate state of medical and mental condition that made them highly vulnerable, and money is no longer a factor to them. To slap these people with an exorbitant bill beyond their means is cruel by all counts. The medical professionals should wrestle back the control and management of their profession from the business minded and money minded people and restore honour and respect back to them. Other industries can go to the dogs, but not the medical profession. It is the last bastion of human decency that needs to be defended by none other than the selfless and passionate medical professionals themselves.

15 comments:

  1. The doctors might had sworn by the Hippocratic Code, but the management pf the hospitals swore by the Hypocritic Code.

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  2. Again we need to go back to the religion of PAP,that is money God,money is their God.

    Look at our neighbour,when the corrupted government tried to privatise a heart centre,the idea is copied fr Singapore,increase the profit and make it less affordable,the people reaction make it impossible for the ruling party to carry it true.

    Nver in red dot,the philosophy here openly declared is:"If you do not like to me to do it,the more I will do so,and I will do so again and again"

    This I refresh fr a line fr Dr Tony Tan,when PAP worshipper (Before)Jim Rogers advised not to buy global banks as it was too early.

    Where else in this world where you can find wife of ex-PM calling S$600,000(US$428,000)just peanuts and a governemnt ministerial post or super scale civil servants will guarantee your leap into the top earners of the country.I can only think of Cuba,Myanmar and Zambawee,but then it is a open secret that they still do so illegally.

    This happens to be the only place on earth where a politician can earn S$40 million for up to 10 years and enjoy life till the last day of his life.

    If this is not beautiful life,then what is?Watch politicians including ex-Presidents facing life sentence and spend the rest of their life in prison.Examples,the rotten S.Korea and now Taiwan.

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  3. the peanut comment is the first sign of decadence and the fall of empires. the elite live in a different reality from the people and cannot empathise with the people anymore.

    don't believe them when they said they know how the poor is getting on and can empathise with their pathetic state of life.

    the nose is getting longer.

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  4. Yah hippocratic dope... smoker paradise!

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  5. What is the use of swearing by whatever oath if the swearer doesn't believe in the consequences? These people will only worship one god, the Money God.

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  6. Are you not yourself associated with skunks, Mr Redbean?

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  7. i associate myself with human beans. none will call themselves saints.

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  8. Redbean;

    HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN SINGAPORE ARE MAKING SINGAPOREANS SICK EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY AND SOCIALLY.

    Let's do a little plastic surgery to the Hippocratic Code and call it:

    HYPOCRITE CODE- more befitting!!!

    patriot

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  9. i would not denounce the code nor many of the highly motivated and good medical professionals. this is a profession that probably has the highest percentage of really good and caring people.

    it is the commercialisation of the profession by business minded people that transformed this into just another business, to make money in the name of caring and compassion. when one has to pay an arm or a leg to live another day, then something is not right.

    but people see this as something normal and business like.

    i have good friends in the medical profession and they are all very good people.

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  10. Ya, the medical professionals swear on Hippocratic Oath BUT THE HEALTHCARE SERVICES SWEAR BY THE HYPOCRITE ONE.

    And of course, many of those doctors (and nurses) who treated me in the past were mostly caring people(they were employees=salaried).

    I should have been clearer, my apology.

    patriot

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  11. contrast this with the roles of political leaders. the political leaders set the direction, no need to be supertalent, just a good heart.

    the real talented ones are the administrators tasked to make it happened. they take the direction set and just carry it out diligently. These supertalents only need talents but no need heart.

    some are thinkers and some are doers. some are leaders, some are being led.

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  12. The Hippocratic oath is no longer a requirement for medical professionals.

    You are living in the past.

    The state controls all the doctors -- directly or indirectly, and if the state is involved it becomes state first, individual last. Doctors have to agree to the edicts of the state, or they face serious consequences. The state's code has replaced the Hippocratic oath.

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  13. thank you for the reminder. so the code is dead. so must be human kindness and compassion.

    would they have been sworn under a new money code?

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  14. The best doctors are governed by the profit motive: the better job they do, the better their reputation and therefore the longer they remain in business and profitable. They also have to have beside manners which give their patients confidence: kindness, compassion and above all: SKILL.

    Self-interest is the ONLY way that market self-regulation can occur. Once you bring in nonsense like your moral high ground and spiritual elitism of compulsory "kindness" and "compassion" rest assured the system will fail, because the govt will step in to MANDATE "kindness" and "compassion".

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