Our health is our wealth, we'll all agree. Taking care of your health is a priority that can never be overlooked. Unattended health care leads to various complications in both your body and mind and eventual succumbence to chronic diseases that may last until the end of your life. When contemplating what contributes to a good health care environment, shortcomings like lack of medical facilities, limited medical insurance coverage or financial restraints, lack of health awareness campaigns, lack of awareness of your own body, obesity and procrastination of medical treatment, come to mind. In the absence of attention to any of these constraints, severe health problems and complications may afflict one any time. Despite all this, however, a major consideration looming in health care in the region has nothing to do with any of the issues above. Thanks to the government's keen interest in health care and continual improvements, the Kingdom has already addressed many of these issues through a health care system consisting of state of the art medical facilities, compulsory medical insurance coverage for most people and adequate health awareness programs. The only problem plaguing Saudi Arabia's health care, however, is the lack of confidence people here have in doctors. Many people will confess that this is because their doctor is not of their nationality, but the core of the matter is a definitive language barrier. More often than not, medical practice here exists in a vacuum where there is a lack of good communication between the doctor and patient. If the doctor is competent but fails to discuss, explain and provide assurance, any medication prescribed may become pointless, as there is tendency that the patient will not use or respond to the drugs correctly. The doctor is responsible for playing a greater part in the psychological healing of a patient at the very onset and through deeper communication, the diagnosis becomes much clearer to both parties. The more a doctor and patient talk, the more information can be gleaned about the patient's medical history, and underlying complications and possible treatments. Although, Saudi Arabia is home to doctors from various countries, the majority of people here - Saudis and expatriates - still face difficulties for being unable to converse in English or Arabic. Take the typical scenario of an expatriate seeking medical treatment at a medical establishment: he may not find a doctor who can speak in his native language and the alternative - Arabic or English - is either not spoken by the doctor or the patient, or spoken poorly. Somehow, the patient explains some of his symptoms via a few words and sign language, his blood pressure and temperature is checked and then he is sent off to the lab to get a few tests done. The results are checked by the doctor who then writes the prescription and that's the end of it. The end result is little or no communication. The doctor never understands anything about the patient's medical history and the patient goes away with no explanation of what the illness is and how the medication will help him. Once, I visited a hospitalized employee of my company a day after he was admitted to hospital, and found him in a state of fear before his scheduled operation. He complained that his doctor spoke rudely to him and that he wanted to be taken to another hospital. I approached another doctor in the same hospital who I knew from before and he explained that my colleague's doctor was a competent and completely trustworthy professional and promised to speak to the patient. Meanwhile, I paid a visit to the doctor in question who apologized for the misunderstanding and gave the assurance that he would do his best. Eventually, all parties came to a consensus, and my colleague left the hospital after a successful operation. Of course, in many cases, the doctor is so experienced that he or she can discern a lot about a patient by observation alone, and there are many doctors in the Kingdom who are naturally gifted with kindness and the ability to assure and console patients. Such doctors are the ones who are immensely popular and have huge waiting lists in hospitals and clinics, so it is always advisable to ask other people's advice on which doctor to consult in advance. This saves time, money and the consumption of a large number of drugs that may cause unwanted side effects or complications. For the progress of health care in the Kingdom, it must be understood that good qualities in doctors play a vital role in the medical treatment. If the doctor speaks to the heart of the patient, half of the healing process has already begun. – SG KMA Perera is presently working as a Welfare Officer at Saudi Arabian Glass Co. Jeddah, and can be approached by email at [email protected] __
