REMEMBER YOUR HIPPOCIRATIC OATH

A DEPUTY Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr George Amofa, has expressed concern over what he describes as the loss of human touch and empathy on the part of health workers in the country.
According to him, the expression of human touch or empathy was one of the core values of the service and that in the light of recent occurrences in the health profession, there was every reason to be alarmed by the disturbing trend.
Clearly, these concerns are not misplaced and, coming from a medical doctor, there could not have been any better person to have expressed such sentiments.
Health professionals are held in high esteem all over the world because of the crucial role they play in promoting quality health. They are required to exhibit a high level of professionalism and sense of judgement in order to help save and protect lives.
Indeed, like all other professionals, they are entitled to good remuneration. But the health profession is considered essential, for which reason the recourse to strike by practitioners as a way of fighting for higher remuneration is severely restricted.
In the same vein, health professionals are expected to show a high level of empathy as they deal with people who sometimes are in pain and are, therefore, emotionally distraught. Their attitude towards those they attend to may either help bring relief to them or worsen their condition.
The recognition of the unique role that health professionals play is aptly captured in the Hippocratic Oath which is expected to bind doctors to high standards of professional conduct.
The oath requires doctors to pass their lives and practise their act “with purity, holiness and beneficence”.
Other celebrated Ghanaian doctors have also expressed similar sentiments in the past and challenged doctors to see their profession first as a call, which requires that they place the lives of their patients above excessive monetary demands.
The health profession has been built on a foundation that was established by dedicated and disciplined professionals who worked with diligence, motivated by the joy that came with helping to bring relief to the sick and the dying.
Florence Nightingale, considered as the pioneer of nursing, left a legacy of compassion and commitment to patient care.
It was not for nothing that THE TIMES described her as a “ministering angel” during the Crimean War around the middle of the 19th century.
It is the selfless dedication of such professionals that contributed towards carving a unique reputation for the health profession and placed health professionals in a cherished category of workers.
The little the present-day health professional can do to protect this image and reputation is to shun any act that will compromise the accepted professional standards and rather cast indelible scars on the noble profession.
Health professionals need to recognise that human life is more precious than silver and gold and that no matter how much money they earn, their greatest joy is to bring relief to those who are sick.
The country requires dedicated health professionals, especially now that the National Health Insurance Scheme is gaining roots and greater acceptance among Ghanaians.
The DAILY GRAPHIC congratulates all health professionals who have dedicated themselves to providing quality health care for their patients. They should continue in their good works and encourage their colleagues who may not show similar dedication to give of their best in order to help build a better country for all Ghanaians.