Let’s Go Doctoring - News With Views

News media and Far Left Crazy Democrats love to gas about health care as “a right,” everyone should get it for free, we need for the government to take it over, it’s failing us because the government hasn’t got control of it, and of course we have to have socialized medicine because Europe has it and everything Europe does is so much better than anything we do in America. Et cetera.

Medical science has made great strides in my lifetime; but there are still some problems in our health care system that no amount of government intervention can correct. Probably government intervention would only make things worse: because these are problems caused by basic, natural human shortcomings.

Here are three real-life examples.

My wife’s friend, who has diabetes, went to see her doctor—her regular doctor, whom she has been consulting for some time. And he looked her in the eye and asked, “Who’s treating you for your diabetes?” Appalled, she answered, “You are!” Seems he forgot.

Do we need to pass a law against forgetting your patients and their reasons for consulting you? What kind of law could correct that problem?

My sister Alice works for a doctor who has become enamored of high-tech gadgetry. He has acquired some kind of computerized Dictaphone: he dictates his notes to it and the computer prints them. It then becomes my sister’s job to enter that material into another computer, deciphering it along the way.

Last week the doctor said to his Dictaphone, “I told the patient to see Alice.” The machine’s vast Artificial Intelligence printed that out as “I told the patient to Cialis.” Good grief. Cialis is a drug for treating erectile dysfunction. That is a problem that this patient didn’t have. No—the patient’s problem was his doctor, and the doctor’s reliance on a robot.

Do we pass a law against having more work than you can do yourself, or just not wanting to do the work, and leaving it all up to a machine?

This week, I needed a refill on my prescription for medicine used to stave off high blood pressure—a medication which has served me well for several years. Somehow they always manage to mess it up. So I asked for the usual 90 days’ supply and was told I could have just two weeks’ worth, unless I came in and let them do blood work.

So I did that the next morning, and was then told that they want me to have blood work every three months from now on—because—wait for it—“That’s our policy.”

“Policy” is a word that always ignites my temper. “I don’t care about your stupid policy!” I replied, probably more forcefully than I should have. “Nobody in North America has blood work every three months! I won’t have it!” We compromised on six months; but then, just as I was leaving, they insisted on taking my blood pressure as long as I was there.

“But I’m angry,” I said, “and I haven’t yet taken my medicine today.” To no avail: they took it anyway. And what do you know? It was rather high. “You do have a strange way of treating high blood pressure,” I said. “Drive the patient crazy!”

I made them promise to refill my prescription by the weekend, at which time I will have run out of what I have left. I made them write it down. That probably means they’ll forget all about it and I’ll have to call them up and gently remind them on Friday.

Do we make a law against inane “policy”? Well, we could—but guess who would enforce it. Who would do a worse job of it—a bunch of knuckleheads on Capitol Hill, or a medical establishment that generates the inane policies in the first place?

The point is: No matter how much tax money we throw at it, no matter how many volumes of brand-new rules and regulations we dream up, natural human failings—not to say simple foolishness—will forever prevent our health care system from being as perfect as our reigning nitwits promise to make it, if only we give them more power over it.

We can only, in good faith, do our best. And pray.

I have discussed these and other topics throughout the week on my blog, http://leeduigon.com/ . Stop in for a visit. A single click will take you there.

E-Mail Lee Duigon: leeduigon@verizon.net