Voltaire abhorred doctors. To him they were men who prescribed medicines of which they knew little, to cure diseases of which they knew less in human beings of whom they knew absolutely nothing simply by amusing the patient while nature cured the disease.
His diffidence must have proved as effective as the proverbial apple as he died at the venerable age of 83. This philosophy seems to be followed by many, even by those who haven’t the slightest idea of who he was and would associate his name more with a battery charger than anything else. Others, on the other hand, utilise their doctor very much like a Swiss knife resorting to his wisdom, and patience, even for matters which could usually be solved by a little not-so-ordinary-at-times common sense. Yet others seem to thrive on evaluating the opinion of a multitude of medics before compiling the one which best satisfies their whim at the time.Physicians come in all shapes and sizes – and attitudes.
Some are abrupt, others more relaxed and friendly, some are organised, others unsystematic, some are expensive, others more affordable, some give VAT receipts, others don’t, some like prescribing too much medication, others prefer to allow nature to take its course. The one thing that most seem to have in common is that they still manage to appeal to a variable number of patients.There are no hard and fast rules in choosing your general practitioner, it’s like choosing your partner for life or your job. The ideal candidate is usually the one that you would feel most comfortable with sharing your innermost fears and trusting with the most valuable of your possessions – your health and that of your most dear.
After all he or she will be the one who will cure and vaccinate your children, the one you will turn to with any sinister symptom even if it’s just a couple of sleepless nights or an extra cough or bowel run in the morning. In fact, he or she will be the one who will know your body, mind and soul as much as you do, if not better.
The last thing I would consider when choosing my family doctor is the financial aspect. I do not believe in the free GP service offered locally by the state where the patient usually finds a different doctor every time he visits the health centre; having worked in the system for more than 10 years, I guess I know something about it. My main reserve lies in the fact that I think it limits the interpersonal aspect and continuity of care that are so vital in any doctor-patient relationship and, secondly, because I feel it lays the ground for a lot of abuse.
Even though there are times when most families have to resort much too often to their medic causing a strain on the family budget, I still believe that each family should have its own general practitioner. Hippocrates believed that everyone. Unfortunately, sometimes this is not enough to overcome our maladies and we have to trust ourselves to the expertise of those who know best in the matter. Trust, however, is a two-way entity that takes time to achieve especially in matters where one of the parties is in a vulnerable situation. That is why it is so vital that the patient chooses the doctor well. The doctor, on the other hand, should be careful never to undermine his position and the power it could give him over the individual.