Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff has caused uproar among medical professionals for his ‘licensed to kill’ statement when replying to a question in parliament on Monday.
Abdul Latiff was responding on why the government decided to extend the houseman-ship period for trainee doctors from one to two years when he blurted out the controversial words.
What he said was harsh and stupid, but he actually made a good point for his entire speech, that doctors are responsible for the life or death of their patients. Any mistakes or poor judgments from the doctors could lead to serious illness, injuries or fatality… and these cases are not unheard of in Malaysia.
I have a friend who was asked to do an angiogram (normally for heart problems) when she got a gastric; another unfortunate friend had half of his liver cut off because the doctor wrongly diagnosed his earlier symptoms… luckily he survived.
I am sure most of you have heard of some bizarre cases where doctors were making the wrong calls… not from gossips or papers, but real cases among your friends and relatives. For me, it happens a bit too often to be frank.
Licensed to kill? Maybe not; but incompetent doctors certainly could.