MEDICAL PERSONNEL ‘WORKED TO DEATH’
Long working hours, being on call and lack of rest are contributing factors
FOR Dr Muhammad (an alias), being on call has taken its toll on his sleep and social life. “Sometimes, I don’t get to see the sun rise, or set. I do not get to spend much time with my friends, or attend family gatherings.
“At first, I felt like quitting when the workload became unbearable. But, I have a good support group and I often seek advice from them,” he said, adding that he fell asleep “many times” at traffic lights.
For 33-year-old Dr Iswarran Krishnasami, there was once he worked for 36 hours without rest.
“Our working hours are from 8am to 5pm. However, there are days when you are on call.
“When I am on call, I will work from 8am to 8am the next day. Certain hospitals allow you to go home at 8am in the morning, provided there are enough doctors. Otherwise, you continue working until 5pm.
“Hospitals operate 24 hours a day and being on call is unavoidable. Doctors must be there in case of an emergency,” he said.
Dr Iswarran said at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital where he currently works, doctors had to be on call five or six times a month.
“Some hospitals require their doctors to be on call seven times a month.”
While Dr Muhammad and Dr Iswarran decided to stick to their jobs despite the long working hours, a former nurse, who wanted to be known only as Oli, quit six years ago.
“I was told I would have to endure long working hours. But, I never thought that it would be that bad. After a long shift, I always felt like I was dragging my feet home.
“After I no longer had the passion for it, I decided to quit. I am happy now with my work as a kindergarten teacher.”
The rise in the number of road accidents involving medical personnel has prompted a review of their working hours.
Yesterday, Health directorgeneral Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reminded healthcare personnel to practise safe driving, especially after work.
He said 623 accidents involving healthcare personnel were recorded between 2014 and last year.
Out of the total, 554 cases were accidents related to commuting, while 69 involved healthcare personnel driving home after work.
Kesatuan Pemandu-Pemandu Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia president Shamsudin Ismail said hospital managers and department heads should be more sensitive towards their personnel’s wellbeing.
He said hospitals’ management should refrain from giving health personnel double shifts.
“In the case of drivers, they should be more considerate of their drivers’ wellbeing, particularly after a long-distance drive.
“If possible, avoid giving them double shifts. However, if it is inevitable, allow them to rest, or nap for a while before continuing with their next task.”
Shamsudin said there were cases where a department head had refused to allocate two drivers for a long-distance drive due to insufficient number of available drivers.
“A good management or department head should resolve the problem by requesting for more drivers,” he said, adding that a driver should get at least five or six hours’ rest before starting a new journey.
Shamsudin said the drivers, too, must inform their management if they were tired.
He said increasing the number of drivers was necessary to maintain a sufficient number of personnel on duty round the clock.