Stop the violence against healthcare workers

Social media has made careless and condescending accusations towards healthcare standards. It's very easy to share and viral a story without knowing the whole truth, especially when there's an attractive punchline.

People are fast to complain. Every patient wants full attention from healthcare professionals in charge of their care. Little do they know that we often have to attend to the needs of those who are much more critically ill, often struggling between life and death. I can count using my hand how many times I get to drink enough water, go to the loo when the urge emerges and when I get to have my meals on time. How many of us also work and on call when we are sick.

Me exhausted post call but still had lots of procedures to complete before I can call it a day. Face looked too horrible to be shown.

People are also fast to judge. Healthcare workers are supposed to be infallible and super humans. We act based on a standard level of care . But things aren't always black and white. It is difficult for those who aren't medically trained to fully understand the complexity of the situation. Before understanding the challenges involved, people already have preconceived ideas that we don't care and we are negligent.

I believe that all healthcare personnels started off with an altruistic goal-to serve the sick and comfort the ill. But we are humans too. We cannot work 24/7 without rest and still perform at 100%. Hunger and fatigue can also cloud judgement. We also get frustrated and depressed when patients deteriorate. We know that everyone wants to go home healthy but it's not always possible.

The medical fraternity is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann. A simple act of requesting a visitor to stop smoking in the vicinity of Box Hill hospital caused an assault which then claimed his life.

There are also countless cases in which doctors are under such tremendous stress that they succumb to mental illness and rendered incompetent to practise. The inhumane working hours and unrealistic expectations also often result in medical errors, even to fatal motor vehicle accidents.


I therefore would like to urge fair and kind treatment towards healthcare professionals. We are indeed responsible for human lifes. But we are also human and can only care better if we are also cared for. Stop the violence (be it physical or emotional) against us. Thank you.