The primary duty of all doctors is for the care and safety of their patients, but some Malaysian doctors are going all their way out to help patients get treatment by using their own money.
According to Malaysian Pay Gap, an Instagram page that advocates for salary transparency, several doctors have revealed that they had at least once settled the bill for their patients who did not have caring family members.
The page also revealed that these doctors’ generosity could sometimes be extended beyond managing their patients’ medical needs. For example, some would even buy food for them, while others paid the fare for their patients to return home safely.
Generosity of Malaysian doctors
Meanwhile, the page also said it is not uncommon that doctors choose to help their patients who are in need.
“This is true. As a doctor at a Klinik Kesihatan (Health Clinic) myself, I often give money to my patients to buy food, or to buy formula milk for their babies,” a doctor said.
A medical student also shared how he saw a doctor slip a few RM50 notes to a homeless patient while he was handling her the prescription paper.
“She is homeless, with a toddler and hasn’t eaten anything for two days. The doctor’s kindness inspired me and made me rethink about life,” the student said.
Buying medical devices for patients too!
Nonetheless, some doctors shared that they would also travel to other clinics to get medications for their patients or use their own money to buy medical devices.
“True! Even in tertiary hospitals, we sometimes need to buy food or medical devices (oxygen tank and a spirometry device) for our patients. I still remember my patient who fasts for the whole day and can break his fast since the operation was postponed. But no food even mineral water beside, so I just went and buy it for him,” the doctor said.
In some instances, doctors would also help their patients to get home from the hospital.
A doctor shared that patients may sometimes miss the last bus and have to sleep at the hospital.
“Doctors or nurses would order Grab for them so they wouldn’t have to stay overnight in the hospital,” the doctor explained.
Kudos to these doctors who are secretly helping their patients despite being at your own expense!
