03 August 2007

Douchebag Doctors

The media went to town with the news: Eighty-eight doctors and three others were arrested in what is shaping up to be a massive illegal licensing scheme. Amongst the arrested were a father-daughter pair of losers and a recently-filed mayoral candidate. (Need I point out for the pro-statehood party or is that beside the point?)

For the past five years, brain-challenged would-be doctors have been paying about $6,000 to have their licensing exam results fixed in order to receive their licenses. The director of the Medical Examination Board, under intense scrutiny since early this year, was also arrested, and authorities strongly suggested that more arrests are on the way.

Regardless of whether more arrests are made or not, the damage is already serious. On an island where fully 40% of recent med school graduates leave for perceived greener pastures elsewhere, to know that this many dunderheads are sitting across from patients and engaging in "health care" is a crime.

And no, don't give Me that bullshit about some people being better doctors than those who are legally licensed. THAT is beside the point. The point here is that demonstrably incompetent vermin were allowed to purchase an unearned certification to provide a fundamental service. One of the "doctors" had failed the exams 16 times. Six. Teen. Times. We're not talking driver's license, We're talking human lives and this plusperfect idiot failed sixteen times to prove her basic ability at being a doctor. So giving this waste a space a medical license in exchange for cash is supposed to improve the health care system?

This was not done because Puerto Rico lacks doctors, but because the local medical industry--doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and government--has become nothing more than a pigsty, with porkers and porkettes huffing and snuffling to find a space at the money trough. The basic principle of caring for the patient's health has taken a back seat to greed, narrow self-interest and corporate profits. Nothing new here, but it disgusts in the same sense that an overflowing sewer is nothing new, either.

I hope the authorities arrest another 88 doctors, even 188 more. Because in the end, it won't change a thing. Some doctors will be kicked out, many more will up and leave and the ones who remain will pick up the slack, hoping to cash in big without making much of an effort. For you see, to this industry, taking care of people is deemed an excessive effort: The true purpose of being a doctor is to make money fast. Why else would someone go through the humiliation of failing 16 times instead of actually learning something in order to pass?

The answer is simple: Money means more than knowledge. Remember that the next time your doctor treats you like a bag of cash instead of a human being...and expects you to respect them for it.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

2 comments:

Juan Almodóvar, Frances Catalá, Amneris Colón, Nicole DaSilva, Héctor González, Jonathan Hernández,Lorna Malpica,José Najul,María M. Román said...

Amen

Ana Oquendo said...

The truly sad thing about this seems to be the public reaction to this "news":

"Oh, god! This will make the international news! Oh god! What will the Americans think? Oh god! This puts such a blemish on our country!"

Of course, no one was actually surprised because everyone that has visited more than a couple of doctors here in the island knows not all of them have an honest-to-god certification.

What would be interesting to do is: Pair up the list of these douchebags, with the list of douchebags that are always pushing for monetary and other limits in malpractice suits.