I have always assumed that doctors are more or less the same as plumbers. That is, given any ten plumbers, two of them will be absolutely brilliant, six of them will stumblebum their way through each working day some of which will be successful and others a total disaster, and the final two should have been bricklayers because they don't understand the first thing about plumbing. Now, the trouble for us, apart from the illness or injury with which we are suffering, is that we cannot know for sure which of the ten we have ended up with. I repeat this homily constantly to the extreme irritation (and boredom) of my nice, middle-class friends who, suckers that they are, still worship at the feet of anyone with the letters 'MD' after their name. I view them all both balefully and suspiciously through cynical eyes until such time as they prove they know what they're doing.
Perhaps one of the few good things to result from the forthcoming doctors' strike is that more people will have their rose-tinted specs knocked off their silly noses and will come to the late realisation that these smooth-talking, we-know-better-than-you-about-everything, semi-educated but infinitely superior 'holy medical Joes' are, in fact, a bunch of greedy, blood-sucking, militant trade unionists who could teach Arthur Scargill a thing or two about bringing their country to its knees. These over-paid, sanctimonious shits will forfeit forever the latent goodwill of every patient forced to wait even longer than normal for treatment. How could any doctor turn away from a person requiring treatment? In my opinion, any doctor who goes on strike for any reason should be struck off instantly.
Needless to say, I make an exception to these strictures of every doctor who tells the BMA to get stuffed and ignores the strike.
"Cooks cover their mistakes with sauces, Architects with creepers, Doctors with earth"
Posted by: Robert the Biker | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 15:18
Love it, Robert, more of the same, please!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 18:33
People have forgotten that in order to get the NHS going and to make the doctors provide affordable treatment for the great unwashed, Bevan had to "stuff their mouths with gold". They probably have us over a barrel even more effectively than the miners ever did, and it would be a brave government who riled them.
I agree that there are some who are brilliant. These are the consultants who rise up through their profession. The majority of GPs are totally useless. Every diagnosis is either "You've broken it" or "It's a virus".
Someone was saying on Radio 4 this morning that their pension is an eye-watering £53K, and they claim it for an average of 29 years. Plus the job for life aspect. Plus the fact that they get to see women's tits any time they want.
Posted by: Whyaxye | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 19:23
Hmmmn! I wonder if it's too late for me to enter medical school?
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 19:26
"anyone with the letters 'MD' after their name": what, are all your doctors locally Americans? Ours usually have MB ChB.
Posted by: dearieme | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 20:59
We're all Americans now, DM, or should that be MD? But thanks for the correction, it's why I keep you on!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 21:38
I really wasn't too very enthusiastic commenting on this post - but since the concerned fellow is both dead and never practiced in the UK I'll go ahead and admit my "Dear Ol' Dad" was an MD. What prompts me is W's,
"Plus the fact that they get to see women's tits any time they want."
Many years ago a friend and I were sitting with Dad drinking his whisky. My friend observed much the same thing only lower on the anatomical totem pole.
Dad took a long gulp emptying his cup and replied, "Well Tom, being a doc has certain highlights I'd agree. Mind dropping your pants and showing your willy?"
"But Doc," says Tom, "There's nothing wrong with my willy!"
Dad drawled, "Well then Tom, think you might consider joining me in the exam room next time a lady needs her's looked to?"
Posted by: JK | Thursday, 31 May 2012 at 21:52
And we tolerate many things to a doctor that we wouldn't to a plumber, like: I have no idea wht's the problem.
Posted by: ortega | Friday, 01 June 2012 at 07:29
There was a brilliant letter in the Telegraph about this business a few days ago. I'll paraphrase what I can remember, for those who didn't see it:
"Sir,
My pension fund has dropped 20% in value in the last year. By how much have the doctors' funds dropped? The BMA wants those of us who take these risks to pay again so that their members don't have to. The answer is no.
Yours etc.
"
Pretty much sums up my attitude to these gold-plated grasping whatnots. And note that they don't even work weekends any more.
Posted by: Andrew Duffin | Friday, 01 June 2012 at 12:23
Steady on, Andrew, old chap, your local quack may be reading this and should you need your piles sorting he might seek revenge!
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 01 June 2012 at 13:12
Consider the situation in Russia (and eastern europe) where (without the 'closed shop' limiting the training places and therefore the numbers of doctors at every rising level) doctors are seen, act and are treated as the same as engineers and other professionals. My own experience is that they are better educated, competent and just more professional than here (and that from a nurse too!).
Oh, and "two of them will be absolutely brilliant" - me thinks you're being a little optimistic there!
Posted by: Able | Saturday, 02 June 2012 at 13:32
"me thinks you're being a little optimistic there!"
Oh, no, tell me it ain't so!
Posted by: David Duff | Saturday, 02 June 2012 at 15:43