Monday's dismissal of an appeal by well-known surgeon Susan Lim against her suspension for professional misconduct might have been the final episode to the saga but it brings up more questions. What is top dollar? How do doctors determine fees which are deemed as reasonable? Isn't Susan Lim a premier physician who deserves to receive more than the rest?
Medical fees or rather charges by the doctor cannot be associated with market forces. There can be a range for fees charged by associate consultants, consults and senior consultants. However, what if the doctor is one of the best in the world? Doctors do differ in terms of experience. Plus, some do possess better skills than the rest in the industry.
Dr Lim is not only a top doctor, she is a dedicated one. Even while recovering from a surgery, she opted to attend to her patient at a hotel. Shouldn't she deserve more than the average for such exceptional customer service?
A doctor is just a profession. Like chefs, accountants or engineers, doctors are just doing a job and patients are their customers. Medical services provided by the doctors are essentially a business transaction that involves risks that go beyond monetary terms. In short, medicine is considered a free market.
The ministry of health needs to explain how much is the so-called "ethical limit" and what has been the "imaginary" market rate all along. Or else, Singapore will just end up as a laughing stock (like always) because we are restricting a local talent from gaining what she truly deserves. Will prominent surgeons still choose to ply their trade here after this episode?
No comments:
Post a Comment