Sunday, January 10, 2010

Samu't Saring Kwento

Photo from here

After attending a research summit today, I realized several things.

First, primary care in the country needs major make-over. I was seated right beside a Malaysian primary care physician. He was surprised that I was training in a hospital. He asks, "You practice primary care in a tertiary hospital?" Yeah, that made me think. Primary care should ideally be outside hospitals. After all, being in the hospital defeats most of our goals. I hope I live to see the day when primary health care in this country is really primary in nature.

Second, age can sometimes be your liability, especially in the field of medicine. I was the youngest in our group and I felt like I had to exert more effort to be heard. I felt like I always have to prove my credibility. Or maybe it's just me. But I swear, I had several statements ignored. But when another consultant said something of similar meaning, they listened! Sadness.

Lastly, language can be a very big barrier. I felt left out because my group mates discussed in Bisaya. I have nothing against the language or the people, but I felt insulted by the act. They know I can't understand it. But they went on discussing in it! I was so glad when the small group discussions ended.

It was a fruitful yet stressful day.

1 comment:

Ling said...

You know what, you should study the dialect. 1/4 of the populations speaks the language, and if you will at least try to learn it, you will have no difficulty in blending in.