Dr. No

Mum complained about a mysterious itch on her right thigh for more than a week. On and off with a wave of numbness now and then. How weird right? No marks on her skin whatsoever. Must be some kind of nerve problem I thought. Quite at a lost on which specialist to consult. Then on Thursday, she complained of body ache, sore throat and rashes started coming out on her thigh. Aha! That's something to go on. I actually thought it was shingles, but she reported no pain. Advised her to see the nearby doctor. A big clinic franchise~ MedivXXXX. The doctor said that it was viral, but it was not shingles.

"Aunty, very serious already, need to give you a jab. It costs $150."

After paying the fees of MYR190, her sore throat and body ache did go away, but the itchy rashes stayed. I told her to get a second opinion. SK recommended Alam Medic in OUG. I was quite surprised at what the doctor there said.

"Aunty, don't worry. I will take care of you. Viral? Definitely is fungal. And the doctor gave you a jab? Totally unnecessary. He wants to make more money la."

WTF?! In my opinion, if you want to make more money, fine. But make sure at least the jab you gave actually alleviates the condition! What kind of stupidity is that treating an obvious fungal infection as a viral infection? Unethical. So despicable. We're never going back there ever again.

Comments

Mr.D said…
you can report this to MMC, malaysia medical council.

Submit your initial receipt and the new medical report to the council and the doctor will lose his license.
Medie007 said…
ppl make mistakes. perhaps the first doctor misdiagnosed it as a viral infection. nothing seriously wrong with it i thought. might be some ethical issues, might just be an inexperienced doctor.

so to report it to MMC, i think that's too dramatic

UNLESS, u memang tak suka the attitude of the first doctor la.
kidz said…
no harm to file some kind of complain.. 150 may not be a lot relatively speaking in medical expenses, but to families which are barely making ends meets...

so even if it was really a misdiagnose, at least someone can justify it.
Shake Trees said…
hope ur mum speedy recovery. :)
Derek said…
Hope she's better now.

RM150 jab really expensive le!
savante said…
So is she better now? Short of a thorough blood investigation, hard to tell who made the wrong diagnosis since she took both meds.

And kidz, families who are barely making ends meet should go to govt service. It costs 3 ringgit. Make your tax dollars work.
kidz said…
Paul, I dun mean they are overcharging or being unreasonable, there are times where even poor family would be willing to fork out money for more reliable services too. Afterall its money vs health, not a hard decision. But i am just simply saying it shud at least be worth it...

This maybe a personal experience but it did happened, the goverment hospital doctors gave my grandma painkillers at one visit after she collapsed in a public toilet and woke up sometime after. Later on she was admitted to ICU and was in there till the end of her life. And it was found out to be some heart related problem. Again, NOT ALL goverment doctos are irresponsible, I am sure there are really good ones. But you can't deny in our country there are some who truly DO NOT qualify or have zero ethics.
Gratitude said…
No more expensive med bills for me, coz i like my GH! :)
+Ant+
William said…
@MrD:
Will not bother. I don't have enough info on hand.

@Medie:
I was also a bit shocked that from the slight rash, he made it sound serious. SK also had a bad experience with the doctor. He cannot even dress a wound properly.

@Kidz:
Memang pengz. Things will go around by word of mouth.

@Koala:
She's much better now, thanks!

@Savante:
Better lo. After a couple of days with no relief, she felt better after seeing the second doc.

@Nicky:
No family doctor in KL.

@Ant:
I have wonderful memories waiting for hours at the Kuantan GH.
J said…
Your poor mum!!!
I've heard mis-diagnosis can sometimes lead to serious consequences... Sometimes even death...

Getting a second opinion is always good...
Twilight Man said…
You know why I cannot wait for Medie007 to graduate?? I am hoping for free services! LOL
William said…
@Hdaran:
Yes, it is true. The infection is not completely gone, Still itches occasionally. :S

@Twi:
He will still charge you.

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