Our health in the ICU

07 / 02 / 2006

The health in the ICU

* Carlos Gropen

It is a serious situation of the Brazilian public health. We do not mind the lack of medicines, disposable gloves, needles, vials of serum and other basic materials, there is now another aspect of the crisis: the degradation of the human component. Doctors and other professionals in the health area is subject to inhumane working conditions, with consequences for themselves and for patients.

Days sometimes exceeding 100 hours per week impeding the work has the necessary hours of rest after a night, that would ensure clinical arguments and decisions to full capacity, since during sleep produce more substances - called neurotransmitters - they make the communication between a brain cell and the neighbouring. This makes possible the specific functions of the body, such as thinking, attention, perception, memory, etc..

It is known the consequences of excessive work since the industrial revolution, which flared after many battles, the creation of labor laws. We backwards? Like any worker, doctors and health professionals devote their free time to chat parcas family and leisure activities, often anxious, and always on the verge of a call by beeps or similar, which is not even considered work and get by without this, although they are available to the employer.

The time for study is scarce, which generates even more frustration. In some hospitals abroad since moments of study within the day's work, in which professionals will run the libraries, adding them paid hours, being considered as part of the training course and job. In addition, study is expensive! Libraries with many recent books and articles are not available to all. The books are expensive and often a single article can cost up to more than $ 30. Many idealistic enough to extremes of mandar a letter to the author, asking for a free copy of the publication, but do not always have success.

We have excellent professionals who stand out worldwide. The medicine requires constant improvement, human and technical training of high quality and, above all, care with their physical and mental health. Working excessive, professional frustration, lack of sleep and stress are causes of many diseases to which all are subject, including doctors. The company must pay closer attention to these problems, since they can not always choose a specific medical chosen as a lawyer, an architect or a politician to represent us. We are not indirectly uncaring of our own health?

* Carlos Gropen is an advisor to the Correio Braziliense health