ARE MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS RELIABLE IN PNG? WHERE GOVERNMENT’S PRIORITY?

Ricardo Timapen

Throwing this scenario (above subject) on the floor for civic diagnosis.

To put this subject into perspective, I’d like to share a recent experience.
At a private clinic/hospital (name withheld), a friend of mine was prescribed ART (AIDS drug) without doing further and detailed diagnoses. The medical reason given was “LOW WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNTS”. Their diagnostic response was accepted and allowed the patient to be on ART. However, few minutes before he was treated with ART drug, he vomited (3 times). At this instance, we knew something was not right and persisted for further detailed diagnostic tests (though expensive). Whilst waiting for the results, the patient was referred to POMGEN where he was administered. High Kudos to the POMGEN medical team, it was later discovered that he was affected by acute bronchitis due to influenza pneumonia and NOT HIV/AIDS virus per “diagnosed” by these private doctors. Lucky he did not take the ART drugs. In this case if further diagnoses were not done (off course at own costs), another HIV/AIDS victim would have been recorded and statistics graph looking good for white papers. Who knows, he would have been dead by now either due to wrong diagnoses and drugs or psychological shock. How many out there are victims of wrong diagnostics and prescriptions? Who do we blame: doctors, nurses, hospital/clinic administrators, health department or the national government? The statistics of deaths due to “curable” diseases are increasing every year but are the statistics rectified accordingly and proven beyond reasonable doubts?

From this experience and other similar observations, I believe patients of various illnesses are treated on “Probable’ grounds without detailed diagnoses. By the time the real illness is/are diagnosed, the patient(s) (s) is/are already under six (6) feet, cremated and or on a wrong prescription. To fight off the effects of wrong prescription(s), I believe more unnecessary drugs are prescribed. The web continues! The poor patient(s) at the end is/are the victim(s). The “Medical Entrepreneurs” laugh all the way to the banks.

Such observations alone calls for the PNG Government, Health Departments to fully equip our hospitals with appropriate medical equipments and professionals so that patients are thoroughly diagnosed of their illness and are given the correct drugs. Leaving our medical doctors and nurses to work on “probability” scenarios is actually killing a lot of innocent people who have the right to live. Checks and balances should be installed somewhere. Whilst this is only a generalization (apologies to those hurt) based on observation, interested people can take an interest on it, especially academia, medical professionals and stakeholders.

The myths: Doctors (& nurses) are murders while the lawyers are lairs and accountants are thieves. Then what are the Government, Ministers, and Health Department?

To the POMGEN Emergency Unit and Ward 4 medics, yupla em ol trupla lain stret! THANK YOU.