I am a medical officer working under the Ministry of Health of Malaysia payroll. I work full time for a rural district hospital north of Klang Valley at the border between Perak and Selangor. My responsibilities are extensive and diverse.
As a medical officer, one may see me as a commander-in-chief of the day-to-day clinical practice of the entire hospital. With the help of my fellow doctors, we run the wards, clinics, labor room, minor operating theater, and the emergency room. We make critical decisions and execute them with what little resources we have in the hospital.
This is one cross section of our typical day:
0710: Getting up and ready for work.
0805: Clocks in; checks the ER for passover from the previous night.
0820: Walks into the office, peeks into the mailbox for messages from the State Director of Health of Selangor, but specifically looking for ‘transfer letter’.
0830: Starts morning rounds.
1045: Discharges, referrals and labs. Catches up with gossips in and round the hospital. Argues with a medical officer from a tertiary hospital. ‘Niamah, can’t you just take over the case! We don’t even have ABG machine here!’
1130: Done with ward. Leaves the ward with adoring nurses screaming after you.
1140: Checks out the ER again for out standing cases. Jokes with medical assistants about the irrepressible ‘jonah-ness’ of a certain medical officer.
1200: Helps out in the clinic. Reprimands ‘MC Seekers’. A patient offers to buy lunch. ‘No, thank you.’
1240: Lunch. The chicken rice stall tauke recognizes the familiar face of a doctor; hence generous serving of chicken breast and rice. Gives free consultation over a plate of chicken rice.
1400: Back to the ward. Reviews labs, x-rays and new admissions. Answers questions from student nurses.
1500: Summoned by the Pengarah for an urgent meeting; Lack of doctors is the agenda.
1550: Clears cases in the ER and clinics
1625: Called to the ER, a colleague needs help with chest tube insertion.
1654: Helps appease the squabble between an abusive patient and my colleague.
1707: Clocks out. Thinking about the restaurant by the river, heard it was good.