‘No relief but death and glory

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 40

‘No relief but death and glory

Doctors are playing the “ultimate game” with no relief but death and glory at the end of it, says a Taumarunul general practitioner. In a letter to the “New Zealand Medical Journal,” Dr U. Manukulasuriya said that a proposed holiday resort for police officer and their families had been described as “just what the doctor ordered." “It’s nice to know that there are organisations who recognise the stress in a profession and are prepared to do something about it. “Such caring attitudes unfortunately do not apply to the medical profession, doctors don’t order nice remedies for other doc-

tors!” Dr Manukulasuriya said that, as a family general practitioner, he was expected to possess superman qualities such as not needing holidays, being able to work day and night, and not needing rest or sleep. “The increased alcoholism, drug addiction, marital break-up etcetera In the medical profession is to be accepted as due to God-like qualities that are expected of us, not so much by the public, but by our bwn peers. “We can always blow our heads off if we don’t like this life-style. I feel we are playing the ultimate game, no relief but death and glory at the end of It.”