Good medicine 'treats the person, not just the illness'

Health group CEO calls for empathy, warns of dangers of over-medicating

GOOD patient care is not always about being the fastest, or treating the most aggressively.

At the Alexandra Health Group, which oversees institutions such as Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, doctors are held to a higher standard.

"The goal is to provide every patient a standard of care we deem good enough for our mothers, without having to go through special arrangements," said its Group Chief Executive Officer Liak Teng Lit last Friday.

While medical advances mean doctors can prolong lives, what is needed are the old values of compassion and empathy, he added.

He was speaking at Taiwan charity organisation Tzu Chi's Towards Humanitarian Medicine conference, which was attended by about 500 medical staff and volunteers from Asia. The event's focus was on love and person-centred care.

"Good medicine uses the head and the heart - it is about taking care of a person and not just treating an illness," he said.

Mr Liak cited a case involving a 78-year-old dementia patient who had one foot amputated due to diabetes. The other was gangrenous. He did not have any family members.

Mr Liak then asked about 200 medical staff in a room who would amputate the remaining leg.

Two-thirds of them said they would, simply because they knew how to.

But when he asked them what they would want if they were the patient, only one or two wanted the operation.

In Singapore, over-medicating is a danger, especially in this day and age when some doctors and pharmaceutical companies pursue big profits, said Mr Liak.

"A pill for every ill makes people more ill," he said.

Instead, more "slow medicine" is needed. Geriatricians, who take care of the holistic wellbeing of the elderly, are part of the equation. As are community nurses, who visit patients' homes.

"It is very telling when you visit a patient's home, see what's cooking, learn about the family dynamics," Mr Liak said. "You learn what drives him and how to better motivate him to take care of himself. It may be a simple wish like living to see his son get married."

At the event, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong urged Singapore doctors to go overseas and participate in humanitarian projects, where they can reach out to those who are less fortunate.

"This is part of our role as a responsible international citizen," he said.

He also commended groups from Singapore General Hospital and private practice who went to Hainan, China, to treat those with facial defects.

The Straits Times / Singapore                  Published on Wednesday, 11 March 2015

By Kash Cheong                                      kashc@sph.com.sg