Fragmented Care

Considering that modern Jordan is still a young country, I must not be impatient. It takes time and experience to establish precedents in all spheres of national life like education, government, jurisprudence, and medical care. Health care systems are not perfect, but Jordan seems to be going in a direction all its own with a fragmented sort of non-system. I think the Jordanian society is bypassing one of the essentials of good medical care, and doctors themselves are contributing to it. The only doctor one should have is a GP (general practitioner) who manages one’s health through annual physicals and treatment of periodic illnesses. The GP recommends specialists as the need arises. In most countries a person cannot see a specialist without a referral from his GP first.

Recently a woman in our family developed a nagging pain in her knee. She went to a ‘specialist,’ who prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug. The medicine irritated her stomach which caused some bleeding. She was taking other medicine as well – one of which was a blood thinner, a drug for her heart. She nearly bled to death. Fortunately she survived after spending some days in intensive care and receiving blood transfusions. If she had gone to a GP with her painful knee, I am confident this would not have happened. He would have been monitoring her general health, and would have referred her to a specialist, if he felt she needed one. The GP would be the doctor to make the final decision about her medication or further treatment. I think she suffered needlessly and almost tragically. Unfortunately, she didn’t know any better. She did what most people here do, she micro-managed her medical needs with advice from well meaning friends and relatives.

If I have a problem with my car, I have no idea if it is from the carburetor, generator, brake line, distributor, electrical circuits or any other part of the vehicle. I leave the repairs to the garage mechanic. My health is more important to me than my car. Even though I was educated as a health care practitioner, I do not want to make medical decisions for myself or my husband, children, or others I care about. That is what my GP does, and he does it with skill, experience, and kindness.

ASH