Indexing Title: Rqdeleon MAR [06-04]  

MAR Title: For jobs’ sake!
Date of Medical Observation: April 2006 

Narration: 

            This narration didn’t take place in a short period of time but rather this series of events led to one of my most unforgettable experience as a doctor. 

            I attended to this certain patient when I was a first year resident. It was a case of mauling incidence and the patient sustained injury at the head. I managed the patient and like any other medico-legal case, I issued a medical certificate that the patient used to file a case.  

            The case seemed to have progress because it reached the high court. As the medico-legal office of this case, I was summoned thru a subpoena. I personally received the subpoena and at the back of my mind, I do intend to attend the hearing.  

            But due to unseen events, I was not able to attend the hearing. I had an elective case. I was one of the assists, and for me it was important to see elective cases as part of my training. 

            So for the first time, I didn’t attend the hearing. A second summon was sent to me and the record custodian was the one who received the subpoena. She informed me that I have a hearing and like the first summon, I intended to attend the hearing.  

            But on the day of the hearing, it just so happened that I was the presentor in one of the conferences of the department. And so, for the second time, I was not able to attend the hearing. 

            I received two more subpoena, and the like the previous occasion I was not able to attend the said hearing. And the reason for my failure to attend the hearing was 2 elective cases that I was interested to see. 

            The record custodian was summoned in the court room and from what I learned from her, the court was going to issue an in contempt of court. I didn’t think that they were serious about it. Not until last April 24, 2006, when the hospital re-opened after being shut down for electrical problem, when a warrant of arrest was being served to me by a police officer. 

            I thought all of this was a joke but when I asked the chief resident for advice on how I will go thru it, that it did hit me that this is for real. 

            A police officer was serving me a warrant of arrest and that he will be taking me to prison. Things went thru my mind, I started to panic. But I guess that time the best thing to do was to go with the policeman and clear my name in the police station. 

            I was thinking that I was not a bad person for this policeman to arrest me. I was just doing my job, operate on patient who needed to be operated on, and now what do I get?! Imprisonment!!           

INSIGHTS: (Physical, psycho-social, ethical)(Discovery,  stimulus, reinforcement)                       

            Never did I imagine myself being arrested or being in prison. I always tell myself that am a law abiding citizen and that I don’t aggravate anyone for them to sue me or for them to want me in prison.  

            Yes, I was doing my job as a doctor, operating on patient that was scheduled for operation. But I was not accomplishing another part of my job, that job of being a medico-legal officer. These two obligations are equally important. I might not have looked at this responsibility as a life saving act as stated in our oath but still it is life saving for the person involve in the case. 

            Attending hearing is as important as doing an operation. Two life saving acts but different approaches, one was thru a battle that I was preparing myself with being a doctor and one was thru accomplishing my responsibility as a citizen and as a compassionate  person. 

            Two different war, both worthy of a battle!