YOURSAY 'Penang state rep Roslan Saidin, please differentiate between racism and ill-treatment. Don't play the racial card.'

Victims of 'racist doctors' tell their tales of woe

your say Gerard Lourdesamy: The instances mentioned here by the complainants do not support the contention that the doctors were racist. On the contrary, they relate to professional misconduct, incompetence and poor service.

These are matters that the complainants ought to have taken up with the hospital administration, the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). Healthcare is under federal and not state jurisdiction.

By making this into a racial issue, Umno is simply trying to score points against the Penang government.

Anonymous_3e86: These cases have nothing to do with racism. They revealed the incompetence of our doctors in government hospitals.

That's the reason why many middle-income families do not want to go to government hospitals for treatment. They rather pay for treatment in a private hospital.

Indeed, the victims were not denied medical treatment by the doctors. They were only badly treated. Many patients of different races are often given shoddy medical treatment in government hospitals.

So Pinang Tunggal assemblyperson Roslan Saidin, please differentiate between racism and ill-treatment. Are you not intelligent enough to see the difference? Don't play the racial card.

Nicholas Lim: Besides where the doctor called him "pig", where is the element of racism in the other cases? Mistreatment by the doctors, yes. But racism?

Jackal: The only significant case is the first case involving the farmer. It is highly unethical for a doctor to insult his patient using such derogatory terms. The MMC should act upon it.

But if the doctor is found innocent, this farmer should then face defamatory charges, both civil and criminal. I do not see any racist element in other cases.

RKR: I still can't see any racist element in all the complaints brought out by the complainants. These complaints are nothing new. It happens day in, day out in government hospitals.

What has the BN government done about it in the last 56 years? Nothing!

Mark Anthony: Roslan should have dealt with the respective hospital authorities and sorted out the problems. Instead he brought the matter in the State Assembly knowing he will get publicity in the press. Shame on you, Roslan.

Dr Chin Tu Lan: What has this got to do with the Penang state government? Please ask your Health Ministry which is under the BN government, to solve it. Please ask your MP to bring it up to Parliament.

Borg Kinaulu: I thought the allegation was about racist Chinese doctor(s) instead of incompetent or rude Chinese doctor(s).

This reminds me of the private doctor my late grandfather insisted on seeing, even though the doctor was well-known for his bad temper and equally bad mouth - e.g. cursing at patients who forgot to complete their course of medicines (old folks do tend to do that) with statements like "Kau bodoh? Kau mau mati?" (Are you stupid? Do you want to die?).

Very Chinaman, this may be, but racist? Hardly.

Appum: Put politics and politicians aside, and there is no element of racism. It's just between doctors and patients. There are good patients and good doctors and there are bad patients and bad doctors.

Whatever it is, there should be an investigation into these cases and action should be taken. The doctors, if found guilty, should be penalised. If the patients intentionally framed the doctors, they should be taken to court.

Let the respective hospital authorities take over from now since the patients have gone public with their complaints. Politicians, butt out!

Holden: These are common problems facing the nation as a result of poor delivery systems. The shortage of doctors, rampant privatisation measures and the opening of private hospitals have seen many of our medical personnel moving over to greener pastures where they are treated better and get better working conditions.

Should these people be complaining against the government, of which Roslan is also a member, for being responsible for this?

MW: Incompetence or rudeness doesn't equate racism. It is best to complain through the right channels instead of turning it into a racial issue. These doctors, if the cases are genuine, most probably treat all patients the same way.

Drsaravananr: The truth of the matter is that this happens in almost all government hospitals.

Make a complaint at the district or state health office if you think that you have been wronged by a doctor and follow up on the complaint. It happens to patients of all races and is done by doctors of all races. This is a medico-legal problem and not a racial one.

Dr Jacob George: Strange phenomenon this! More a trial by media and politician?

None of the 'victims' are stating or using the word 'racist' or 'Chinese' at all. They have, and state, medical grievances.

According to medical protocols already in place, if they feel they have been wronged, there are forms could be signed and investigations conducted.

The Health Ministry can investigate and if there's a valid case in medical mismanagement, action can/will be taken after an opportunity for the right to reply is given to the doctors.

This has not happened. Here we see a politician providing a spin - it's trial by media before all the facts are in. Sorry, Roslan, it does not wash with me.

Wira: Roslan, there is no mention of race by any of the "victims." Why do you add in "Chinese doctors" to score Umno brownie points?

The treatment those patients get in government hospitals is the same everyone gets, regardless of ethnic origin.

I have an Indian friend whose father died on the operation table in a general hospital under the hands of Malay doctors and we have never argued nor suggested that a Malay patient in the same medical state would have survived.

I am appalled at your tenacity to make events racial when rightly there should be none.

Msiakini4all: I go to the Pantai Dalam clinic. The Malay doctor there chides me off and tells me I'm wasting her time by not taking care of myself.

She really seems mad at times. At times I see an Indian doctor, she, too, tells me off and even says "no point coming, wasting the medicine".

I never felt they were racist in any way. They were just trying to instill some needed values on my slipshod ways.

Lone_star: YB Roslan, since you have brought forward the complainants, why not also let those doctors allegedly involved tell their side of the story. The rakyat can then have a balanced view of the whole story. Whoever is wrong must face the music.

Don't just keep telling one side. And since you have submitted a report to the state health department, the latter should investigate and let the rakyat know the results.

Kookie: Let's have the names of these doctors from those who are accusing them and bring them to the ethics committee. Just spouting complaints is not enough.

If I was a patient who was being mistreated, I would certainly go to the extent of getting the names of the perpetrators. Otherwise, it's all loose talk.

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