The work here

Hectic, tiring, tensed... and leaving me weary and tired.

It's a big culture shock moving to a busy city hospital. It wasn't like that when the O&G Department was still housed in the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Since they moved to the hilltop ex- Sabah Medical Center, workload has increased by folds. It is said that the more well-to-do folks and Chinese ladies are coming back to goverment hospital because of the nice setting and good reputation of Hospital Likas. Who cares that the staffs there are working like dogs (as uttered by an O&G Specialist).

Well, during normal working days, I start work at about 7.30 am, and reach home about 6.00 to 7.00 pm. My colleagues who stay in other parts of KK add another 30 minutes of travel time if they are caught in traffic jam. Delivery rate here is about 850 to 950 a month (4 times that of Keningau). So imagine how heavy the workload is. On top of that, there are presentations, audits, statistics, teaching sessions, case discussions etc... to be prepared. A lot of juggling work there.

While staffs in Keningau get to smile as they work, people here are at most time tensed and weary, sometimes even hostile. So much things to be done, so little time, with not a minute to be spared. (Hmmm... I may be exaggerating here).

The standards are high. We try hard to provide a high level of care and patient satisfaction. With that come along audits and reprimands. And so come along the blame game. My colleagues say, biasa already la kena marah-marah. Not a very healthy working culture I think. Do something good, and nobody will notice; make the slightest mistake, and everybody will jump at you.

O&G Specialists from Likas visit Keningau regularly to see how are things getting on. When they are doing district visits, they are smiley and friendly and relaxed. But see them work in Likas, most of them conjure more an image of a super-efficient-working-machine than a human being. While we instruct junior staffs to show compassion to patients, let us not forget about compassion to our own staffs.

OK, sorry for having to bear with me. Thanks for listening/reading. Well, I am still in the adjustment phase, I am biased.

Things will get better. Yes it will.