Resident Doctors are Real Doctors

When I first read the article circulating online questioning whether resident doctors are real doctors, the first thing that came to my mind was that the person who wrote it must have had a really bad experience in the government hospital she was referring to.  I understand the frustration of having to wait for the doctor to arrive, knowing that a family member, a loved one or a friend is in need of medical attention.  But I do not see it as an excuse to call the resident who attended to your friend as a "fake doctor".  And what were your basis for saying that?  Just because he did not answer you in English makes him a fake doctor?  Don't you think It would be rather awkward for us to speak to our Filipino patients in English?  In government service, majority of the patients we see come from the low socioeconomic  groups, and I could not imagine how uncomfortable it must be for a patient to listen to his doctor speak to him in English rather than in his own dialect.

While a lot of my colleagues are outraged by this article, I on the other hand am saddened by the fact that the person who wrote it failed to get her information's straight.  I personally believe that journalists have the right to share their opinions based on FACTS, not on their own beliefs.  It seems to me that the author did not even bother to do her  research on what a resident doctor is, but chose to question the eligibility of resident doctors instead.  I also find it offensive for the author to claim that 90% or even 99% of patients going to the ER will die because nurses and doctors are not humane, according to her standards.  Again, this information shared by the author is not based on statistics, but only on her own assumptions.  This for me is irresponsible journalism at it's finest!

I feel strongly about the article, because I am a resident doctor myself.  I find it insensitive for the author to look down and belittle all doctors and nurses because of that experience she had in one of our government hospitals.  Assuming that she may have been disappointed with how the resident doctor handled her patient, it still does not give her the right to accuse him of being a fake doctor.  I will not deny the fact that there are some doctors who can be incompetent, but the article is just unfair for those medical practitioners or doctors who work hard to deliver quality health care to their patients.

I wonder what ever happened after the resident doctor arrived?  The author never mentioned it in her article.  I hope that the proper medical attention was given to the patient.  And to answer your question ma'am,YES, "resident" doctors are "real" and licensed doctors, duly certified by the Professional Regulation Commission.  

And with that I rest my case.