"It's not normal!" position of the "For Good" Foundation

It took us a while to gather our thoughts and decide whether to say anything at all. We read both sides, loads of comments, threats, mockery, insults and other sloppiness.

 

 We are mothers. And as such, we created the For Good Foundation. We fell into deep darkness with our children and decided to bring them into the light.

Then we wanted to spread the light to all children. Or at least to as many as possible.

There is no need for anyone to explain to us the levels of stress, terror, pain, uncertainty, and DEPENDENCY that a mother experiences in a hospital setting. Whether she is there to give birth or with her sick child...

We have done, are doing, and will continue to do everything in our power to minimize this stress.

 

We don't know who is wrong and who is right in this case. Was there verbal and even physical violence from a doctor to a patient at Mother's Home? It's entirely possible. What shocks us even more are the comments normalizing such behavior.

 

No, it's not normal to be afraid of the doctor. Respect is not fear. It's not normal to suffer humiliation because you're in a dependent position. It's not pampering to expect understanding and support beyond purely basic medical procedures. It's not normal to put up with misery, neglect, and arrogance in the name of your child's health. IT'S NOT NORMAL! No.

 

Is it normal to behave aggressively with a medical professional, not follow their instructions, sabotage the treatment process, threaten them, and generally behave disrespectfully? Also not.

If you are a medical professional and you believe that such behavior is justified under any circumstances – you should not practice this profession. We know it is difficult, we know that the workload is enormous, but we also know that this is not an excuse. And you know it somewhere inside yourself, where we hope your childhood dream of becoming a doctor breathes.

If you are a patient and you think you know more than medical professionals and you do not feel respect and trust in them - please get treated and give birth at home and do not burden the system.

We are deeply convinced that training in Therapeutic Communication should be embedded in medical education. Do we need to explain why?!?

 

Now let's remember something else. Our nurses are running out. So are our GPs. We won't list every specialty, but overall the situation is not rosy everywhere. We've heard that pathologists have the status of unicorns. Their salaries are ridiculous, their shifts are exhausting, their working conditions are nightmarish. And we are on the downward spiral of this trend. This, combined with the aging of the nation, presents us with prospects, the most sympathetic of which is Mr. Toshko importing medics from Madagascar. The others are much scarier.

 

We simply have to add this nuance – it's good to have requirements, but only if we have a choice.

The system does not change with hatred, but with humanity. But humanity does not mean tolerance for violence, arrogance and humiliation.

 

It's time to stop being afraid—and start demanding.

Patients deserve care, understanding and respect.

Medics – decent pay, working conditions, and treatment that reflects their contribution.

Enough of the blame-shifting! We need mutual efforts, honesty, and a common will for change.