Country MO and City MO

8 months spent in Palong has opened my eyes in many different ways, for instance how primitive our public health delivery system is, how stubborn the rural patients are, and many other more. With all sort of financial limitations, I guess working in the smallest clinic of the most primal district in this state has taught me to be resourceful and malleable.

Anyway, there seemed to be this concept of a "Country MO" and a "City MO" thing. A Country MO usually is a doctor who works in a health clinic setting - laidback and relaxing - and hence are usually perceived by the others as unambitious and incompetent, and consequently being looked down upon. Well, what can I say? When I was working in the hospitals, I did encounter a few ex-KK MOs who have been too comfortable sitting in the clinics until they haven't had the simplest clues of what they were managing! Well, not everyone has an idea what they want to pursue when they have finished their housemanship, and when you're been constantly laved by that sort of working luxury in a health clinic, it's not unusual for you to be deeply in love with it. 

On the other hand, a City MO are doctors who constantly work in a hospital setting. Archetypally, these doctors already had made up their mind on their future and would just do anything to cleave to their plans. Most of them have not even stepped a foot out of the city boundaries and have been accepting referrals from places where they don't even know exist, i.e. my clinic.

Well, my fall from grace was a bit different. Having done over with my housemanship, I was first exiled to Hospital Kuala Pilah for 6 months, to facilitate my transition to working in district. God knows why. The reason JKNNS gave was to give me time to learn more in a hospital setting and be more confident later when I get sent to district. Ok fine. And 6 months later, they sent me to some god-forsaking area like what they promised earlier and I accepted gladly. Ironically, I was sent to a clinic where the facilities are so limited, I can't even practice much of what I have learnt back in Kuala Pilah; I can't even intubate patients as there weren't any patients who needed intubation was no other sedative agents available, and I can't even pronounce death properly as nobody has ever died in my clinic I have no cardiac monitor in my disposal! Pronouncing death would require me printing an ECG of the long lead II with my ECG machine instead. 

Now where was I again? Oh city and country MOs. 

Probably I have been stuck in a health clinic for too long. Maybe that is why nobody in Hospital Jempol remembers me anymore, and the fact that 1 year ago I had been accepting their referrals and taking over their cases in Kuala Pilah. Or probably they think I've lost my touch and succumbed to the luxury of working in a health clinic. No wonder nowadays when I refer cases I am being fed with sarcasm and mockery. 

So I guess I'm being labelled as a "Country MO" now after all. Well, not for long. I'll be mocking Hospital Jempol pretty soon, and I'll remember whom I need to mock. :)