Evasive patients hampering doctors’ efforts
Medical personnel are forced into isolation, reducing number available to treat new cases
PETALING JAYA: Apart from physical exhaustion, medical personnel at the frontline of the Covid-19 war are also frustrated by patients who are evasive, or even untruthful, about their travel, medical and contact history.
As a result, some medical professionals had to be quarantined out of fear that they might have caught the virus after examining such patients.
A doctor in Batu Pahat told theSun some of her colleagues were already in isolation because their patients had been vague or lied about their travel, medical or contact records.
“We can tell they lied when we see the test results,” said the doctor, who declined to be named.
“By then, it’s too late for those who have examined these patients. They have to be quarantined immediately,” she added.
The doctor said patients should be more forthcoming as such information would be kept private.
“The information is kept strictly confidential. Patients have nothing to worry about,” she said.
Failure to obtain
correct and accurate information about patients can hamper the best efforts by medical staff to contain the outbreak.
“It will also reduce the number of medical personnel available to treat those who have been infected,” the doctor pointed out.
Most of the personnel screening patients at the frontline are junior medical officers, making them the most vulnerable group.
“They also have to put up with the long hours in personal protective gear,” she said.
She added that most of the medical officers work from 8am to 5pm, but those who are still serving as housemen must work on shifts.
The doctor said with Kluang Hospital now designated a Covid-19 medical facility, there would be a surge of activity and staff would be busier than usual.
Malaysian Medical Council president Dr N. Ganabaskaran said as a result of the influx of patients due to Covid-19, medical personnel hardly spend time with their families.
“Those who can’t be honest about their whereabouts add another layer of burden on the doctors,” he said.
“When a medical professional is quarantined, someone else has to stand in. I urge everyone to be honest when relating their activities to the doctor,” Ganabaskaran told theSun.
Dr Chong Yit Khang, who serves at emergency department at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, has taken to social media to urge patients to be responsible and not infect others.
“The only way everyone’s efforts can come to fruition … is if people adhere to the advice and stay home,” he said.