Sir, – I had long been sceptical of the virtue of proposed industrial action by the medical profession.
A recently qualified medic, I joined the army and began soldiering. Put in the hours, worked the days, the nights and made the sacrifices. I soon felt the impact; weight loss, fatigue and general quality of life deterioration. Peers and seniors smiled assuring me it was par for the course.
I ignored my own well-being, even criticised myself for not being tough enough. I was shocked when I fell ill and was acutely admitted to a Dublin hospital with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes just eight weeks into the job.
A senior physician later assured me that the “symptoms” of working in the Irish health system directly mirror those of this serious illness and that I wasn’t to know.
Within hours of returning to work last week I found myself apologising for the system which leaves patients in their 90s waiting on trolleys for days, assuring families their relatives were safe in our care and there was no need for worry. But is this the case?
The safety of any job whose conditions mimic a serious and chronic illness must be questioned. Particularly when that position serves the most vulnerable and requires clear thinking and intense energy.
Never before had I considered joining a picket but this lunacy must end. It is with great regret that I intend to take part in the looming doctors strike.
The status quo puts both the service user and provider at unnecessary risk.
No more. – Yours, etc,
Dr FRED A ENGLISH,
Sullivan Street,
Dublin 7.