<B>By Touria PRAYAG</B>

It is always easier to say something nice and politically correct, especially about other fellow professionals and I have always given support to people who have the courage of their convictions and who fight for their legitimate rights. However,I find it hard to appreciate the concerns of our doctors, who seem to be afraid of ?the market! This apparent phobia of the market, as if it were a big wolf, poised to swallow up all the doctors by merely opening up to foreign competencies was first expressed last year. The mere mention of the possible opening of the Apollo Clinic brought out the strong reaction of the Association des Cliniques through their then President, Dr Patrick Chui Wan Cheong, who voiced his concern that ?les cliniques (locales) vont souffrir.? To the question of what it is that they exactly fear, the doctor simply answers that ?il est probable que sur cinq ans nous perdrons au moins 60 % du marché.? And that ?au niveau des services et des équipements nous devons être au même niveau.? (?l?express? 28th December).

Today, the same fears are being echoed by the Private Medical Practitioners Association (PMPA). To the worry that their clientele may be reduced because ?il y a déjà des compétences dans le pays,? (?l?express? 19th June), the insurance dimension has been added: doctors want to be paid directly by the patient, who then takes all the headache of dealing with the insurance companies.

I have little problem understanding that individuals put their interests before those of others. It is called, I am told, human nature. Nor do I expect the President of the PMPA to voice out the concerns of the sick, the suffering or the down-trodden. However, focusing on one?s interests in such a stubborn way and putting them before those of the country is an attitude which I find hard to sympathize with.

First, I think it is incorrect to claim that there are enough doctors, especially specialists, in this country: the large cake is being nibbled at by a group of doctors, without ever getting to the centre of it or allowing anyone else to do so. Those of us who have had to ?pick up a number? (say 56) from a bored secretary at a badly furnished doctor?s waiting room and spend hours sitting on bright red Formica chairs, worrying less about the cause of our visit to the doctor than about whether the chair will sustain our weight, know otherwise.

Also, isn?t the real issue about not wanting to go through insurance companies for payment more due to the fact that the latter fill in return forms and therefore some doctors find themselves having to pay taxes in the same way as the rest of us? Besides, why should the clinics wait for competition before upgrading their facilities and ?être au même niveau?? And, if they lose 60% of the market, whose fault is it? The patient?s for opting for a better and more affordable service?

The harsh reality is that the whole world is opening up to foreign competencies. Many countries are sucking up the best brains and skills of others, including ours. Any country which has made it recently has only been able to do so through opening up. So, our xenophobia and the fear of having to share the cake which we think is rightfully ours is misplaced and anti-patriotic.

We have no choice but to open up and face the market. The latter is the ultimate decision maker. So, the 29th in the Plaza? The dozens of friends I have in the profession will not be there. They are realistic patriots!