True accounts from a junior doctor. From bargaining with a child using stickers in exchange for a blood draw to complex, sickly elderly patients to dark medical humour between healthcare professionals, being a doctor is a rollercoaster of a calling...
Day 1 of Strike. We are down to the bare bones of manpower. Only those on call and emergency services are functional. Over 2000 healthcare workers, all of them non-essential staff, striked. We each of us have to email our head of department to inform them we were striking.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam held a conference at the end of the working day stating she will close a few more parts of the border -- up to 36% of the influx. 64% remains open.
She previously said there is no point in closing the border because people will always find a way in. I guess there's also no point in having whatever laws to keep people safe (e.g. drink drivers get driving bans and murderers get jail time) because people will always find ways of doing it? But then a bigger portion of the border is now shut after day 1 of strike.
It doesn't fulfil any of our demands, so the full strike will go on ahead tomorrow.
She also says the increase in border closure has nothing to do with the strike but because the general situation of HK calls for it. Uh-huh.
Meanwhile, I'm on call so I cannot strike today. I spent all day rounding cases and admitting newcomers. I explained to every able-minded patient that there will be delays in their treatment in the next few days due to the strike and apologise for any inconvenience. I also reiterate there will always be at least one doctor in the hospital so they will not come to harm. All of them are understanding and don't blame us. Some even offer their support, warming my heart.
Got an email back from HR saying they still expect us to work on the days we announced we are striking; that they do not support us striking; that we are expected to report for duty; that they do not agree or consent or permit us to strike during our working hours and if we wish to strike, we have to do so legally.
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Joke's on them. Someone's already leaked that email to the press and it's stinking up because it's threatening and infringes on our freedom of speech. For one, we do not need permission to strike. It is our legal right (also addresses the point that we must 'strike legally' -- is there even such a thing as an illegal strike?). For another, 'permitted leave' from work is called annual leave, for which we're also legally entitled.
One of my seniors, an absolutely supportive, gentle, angel of a man, wonders if the union will also fight for monetary compensation for any underaged offsprings of a healthcare worker who dies during this outbreak in the line of work. The police force and the fire service have this, where the offspring(s) get a yearly compensation until they turn eighteen to somehow make up for their parent(s) dying for their people. We do not currently have this for healthcare workers. My senior has a four-year-old child.
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