Reality Check: Error Intolerant Professions

Early into the Kibaki administration, we were shocked to hear of a tragic demise of one of the past great second liberation fighters. he was a man of great courage wit and focus. he however fought in a very unique style- using humor. his name was Wahome Mutahi alias whispers. he was a man i had read since i was in my primary school. the days when he partnered quite skilfully with maddo another pencil-great man . i was sad to learn that the man would not enjoy the new found freedom he so galantly fought for. i was sadder though that his death was unfortunate given the fact that it was by a botched operation.

a year after Wahomé's death, we got our last born and in the week of being around, the guy fell seriously ill. he just withered away like a shoot in the scorching sun. we rushed him to hospital and were told that he had to be operated in the stomach. his bowels were to be cut and reconnected! i looked at my son and wondered what the doctor was talking about. What was he going to hold while cuting him! i was utterly depressed. we were between a rock and hard place. the doc said it had to be done immediately else he would die. the operation was meant to be the following morning. our luck came when another doctor who was doing rounds in the evening happened into the wards and asked for blood and stool test after which he prescribed a drip laced with an anti-biotic. the gentleman never went for the operation and he is growing strong.

my neighbors case was similar but he took his kid to Gertrude's hospital where he was operated but never survived. just last month, my siz was told to undergo an operation to remove a fluid based goiter. the cost was 70,000 kshs. we sought a second and third opinion and eventually paid just 2000 for a jab to remove the thing!

i read the issue about misdiagnosis in the media jana, i also remember many stories where doctors have either killed or maimed patients for life due to wrong prescription. one may call it negligence, but am thinking its more driven by the financial rat race. it starts with people cheating in exams to go to medical school. then it goes to high school failures taking medicine since they can afford to pay parallel degree. you wonder how someone who does not even get the cut to take the simplest course at the university can qualify to do one of the hardest courses. it then ends up that for you to recover your money fast, you gotta go on a 'cutting' spree! surgery is very lucrative in the medical circles.

coming close to doctors making mistakes, are pilots felling planes 'kila uchao' what am persuaded to think is that there are some professions like politics and law where 'errors' can be accommodated. but in some, qualification is very important since one simple error is equal to one human being's life. We must just decide to lock out certain professions if at least to protect oursleves.