I was most impressed by the piece of writing by Emyr Gravell1. It makes one reflect on what is happening to the medical profession in the UK.
What makes a good doctor? Don't most of us put the care of our patients as our first concern, and this is at the cost of our families who support us in our endeavours to be a good doctor.
We forget the endless hours each day spent with our thoughts preoccupied with what we can do better for our patients and the effort and time we put in to better ourselves to provide the care our patients expect. How can the government expect to drive our already busy schedule further (already causing burnout in younger GP's)? By turning them into tick-box doctors instead of what they really aim to be — ‘good doctors’ — who continue to make sacrifices at the expense of their family life? Instead of rewarding us for providing a fantastic service the government are constantly out to make life even harder. I wish there was a regulatory body for politicians, which defined a ‘good politician’. They seem to think that they are ‘gospel’ and have absolutely no idea what an average UK GP contributes to the welfare of their patients.
- © British Journal of General Practice, 2007.