I’m married to a government doctor — and I barely recognise the person who comes home anymore.
They’re exhausted. Not just tired — depleted. They fall asleep in their work clothes, skip meals, sometimes go days without a proper conversation. What’s happening isn’t just unsustainable — it’s inhumane.
Recently, house officers (junior doctors) were pulled from certain departments until their second year. But the real issue isn’t just the change — it’s the complete lack of planning. No additional staff. No redistribution of work. Just a void. And into that void, our doctors are collapsing.
Now, doctors like my spouse are forced to take on the responsibilities of two people — or more. The admissions, the documentation, the procedures, the ward work — all of it. Piled on top of an already overloaded system.
And here’s the terrifying truth: life-changing, medical decisions are now being made by people who are dangerously sleep-deprived. This is not hypothetical. This is not an exaggeration. This is the reality, right now, in our hospitals.
Would you want the person deciding whether to intubate your child, manage your mother’s heart attack, or operate on your loved one — to be someone who hasn’t slept properly in days?
Because that’s what’s happening. Every. Single. Day.
And still, no action. Despite the accidents. Despite doctors dying behind the wheel, driving home half-conscious after endless shifts and 30 odd-hour calls. Despite families breaking under the weight. Despite the pleas from those inside the system.
How many more have to collapse before something changes? How many have to die?
This cannot go on.
We are not asking for favors — we are demanding accountability. From those in charge. From the ones who signed off on this broken system. If you have the power to make these decisions, then you have the responsibility to fix the damage they’ve caused.
Fix this. Or own what happens next. Because the next tragedy won’t be an accident — it will be the result of your silence.
Listen. Not to the ones sending memos from air-conditioned offices — but to the ones sweating in overcrowded wards, carrying the weight of this system on their backs.
The author is from Kuala Lumpur.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
