Another foundation upon which the concrete was poured during the establishment of PPSP is the concept of developing community-based physicians. It was fondly referred to by its acronym CFCS - much to the imagination of the young minds whenever the word 'F' comes around, with the help of the 'S' - go figure! This is beginning to sound like the TV series 'The Electric Company'. Now, I cannot even remember what CFCS stands for now (Community and Family Case Studies?).
In every phase of the medical studies (Phase1-Yr1, Phase2-Yrs2-3, Phase3-Yrs4-5), students were required to follow a patient whom they had seen in the hospital and write about them. It is primarily to highlight how the disease affects the family and to impress to young doctors that a patient is not just a disease bearer, but instead he also carries a myriad of baggage of responsibilities and duties which he has to still perform in spite of his afflictions. Very noble thoughts indeed but what actually happens on the ground can be different. On the one hand, we had students who took great pride to go the extra mile, something coughing out money from not-so-hard-earned scholarship money to buy things for their 'adopted family' and present a beautiful photo-filled presentation in front of the class before Power-Point came to the picture! On the other hand, a colleague of mine did not bother to find out the whereabouts of her patient. A week before the deadline of the presentation, she discovered that he had succumbed to his disease long before her visit. They say necessity is the mother all inventions - she cooked a steamy hot story garnished with appropriate flavours to score very high marks indeed! (Nobody found out!)
Mine (in Phase 3) was a vagabond-like immigrant, a loafer, who was admitted with neck pain. As patients picked for CFCS were treated in the hospital for free, he used to bug me for slightest of ailment. Boy, was he a pain in the neck! I later discovered that he was a malingerer who wanted to get away from his duties of a restaurant helper. Unfortunately, he could do so as he had borrowed heavily from his employers and neither could he go back to his motherland India. See, there is more than meets the eye!
CFCS programme was especially an eye opener for the well-heeled medical student who had been brought up pampered and shielded from the reality of life. What better place to see this than in Kelantan Darul Naim. In some households in the periphery of Kuala Krai and Gua Musang, in the late 80s, a family of 10 would survive on a measly income of RM150 per month, but they were happy!
For them too, the sun also rises...
In every phase of the medical studies (Phase1-Yr1, Phase2-Yrs2-3, Phase3-Yrs4-5), students were required to follow a patient whom they had seen in the hospital and write about them. It is primarily to highlight how the disease affects the family and to impress to young doctors that a patient is not just a disease bearer, but instead he also carries a myriad of baggage of responsibilities and duties which he has to still perform in spite of his afflictions. Very noble thoughts indeed but what actually happens on the ground can be different. On the one hand, we had students who took great pride to go the extra mile, something coughing out money from not-so-hard-earned scholarship money to buy things for their 'adopted family' and present a beautiful photo-filled presentation in front of the class before Power-Point came to the picture! On the other hand, a colleague of mine did not bother to find out the whereabouts of her patient. A week before the deadline of the presentation, she discovered that he had succumbed to his disease long before her visit. They say necessity is the mother all inventions - she cooked a steamy hot story garnished with appropriate flavours to score very high marks indeed! (Nobody found out!)
Mine (in Phase 3) was a vagabond-like immigrant, a loafer, who was admitted with neck pain. As patients picked for CFCS were treated in the hospital for free, he used to bug me for slightest of ailment. Boy, was he a pain in the neck! I later discovered that he was a malingerer who wanted to get away from his duties of a restaurant helper. Unfortunately, he could do so as he had borrowed heavily from his employers and neither could he go back to his motherland India. See, there is more than meets the eye!CFCS programme was especially an eye opener for the well-heeled medical student who had been brought up pampered and shielded from the reality of life. What better place to see this than in Kelantan Darul Naim. In some households in the periphery of Kuala Krai and Gua Musang, in the late 80s, a family of 10 would survive on a measly income of RM150 per month, but they were happy!
For them too, the sun also rises...
CFCS programme was especially an eye opener for the well heeled medical student who had been brought up pampered and shielded from reality of life.
ReplyDeleteYes. Those born with silver spoon.
I remember a dialogue from a movie I watched recently (what a coincidence) - Citizen Kane. Writing about it soon.
ReplyDeleteKane, A spoilt boy in adult frame, unhappy with criticisms about his fight for the working class says, " I gagged on the silver spoon!"
RRB