Trading places: What to do when your doctor can't see you due to illness

Woman having a headache. (Courtesy/istockphoto)

Do doctors ever suffer from the same illnesses as everyone else? In essence, that’s a mute question. Doctors are only human, and are susceptible to any illness you can think of. They aren’t spared any symptoms either. Once afflicted, they go through the same diagnostic and treatment processes as anyone else. Only difference is their medical background opens up multiple pathways and choices as they navigate appropriate medical care.

The main matter that comes up when doctors are unwell is what to do with their patients. If your doctor is caught up with a medical emergency, there isn’t much they can do about any pending appointments in their diaries. Their life is at stake, and everything else must wait. But if what is afflicting them is chronic, adjusting their own medical care to suit ongoing commitments to patients tends to be the norm.

If you suddenly get your appointment cancelled without warning, it may be that your doctor isn’t too well. You wouldn’t expect to get any details about their ailment as that remains confidential. Other choices about your care open up. You could wait till the next time your doctor is available, presuming your condition remains stable. But you should also be offered the choice to see an alternate doctor, more so in cases where your prevailing condition is precarious.

Doctors suffering from chronic conditions are often able to plan their diaries to suit any absences from work. The management of chronic conditions necessitates planned appointments and predictable scheduling of any necessary procedures. Your doctor will, therefore, easily adjust patient bookings to align with his or her own medical appointments. You may get the odd change in your bookings, but you will probably never suspect that your doctor was unwell. 

Situations may arise when your doctor becomes too sick to ever return to the care of patients. Your doctor may even die from their illness. That inevitably brings an end to the medical care relationship you had built up with the doctor. In such a scenario, you don’t have many choices. The doctor’s practice must facilitate transferring your care to another equally qualified doctor. You may choose to do some groundwork and self-select the next doctor yourself. Regardless, you should request for all your medical records. If you already have access to your electronic records, your transfer to somebody else becomes easier.  

Doctors are only mortal, and are not exempt to any suffering that others go through. There are concerns about doctors downplaying disease symptoms, and seeking care when it’s too late. Other concerns arise when doctors self-diagnose, sometimes making grave errors about what is ailing them. Doctors should always be vigilant about their own health, and seek medical help from their own colleagues promptly.

Dr Alfred Murage is a Consultant Gynecologist and Fertility Specialist. [e-mail]