By The original uploader was Kurosawa at Italian Wikipedia. – Transferred from it.wikipedia to Commons by Marcok using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=7783809<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When meritocracy is abandoned, clowns inevitably rise to the top\u2014and nowhere is this more dangerous than in the field of medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s examine a tragicomic case from the Myanmar medical system, which increasingly resembles a circus due to incompetence cultivated by nepotism, not merit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A female patient presented to a hospital with classic signs of hypothyroidism (myxoedema)<\/strong>\u2014a condition caused by reduced thyroid function leading to a decreased basal metabolic rate. Among her complaints were constipation and abdominal discomfort<\/strong>, both common in hypothyroid patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of performing a proper clinical evaluation, the physician rushed through the examination<\/strong> and immediately ordered an expensive CT scan of the abdomen<\/strong>\u2014perhaps motivated by laziness, the allure of kickbacks, or simply a desire to go home and catch the latest Korean drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The radiologist<\/strong> reviewed the CT scan and reported a mass suspicious for rectal cancer<\/strong>, located near the terminal end of the large intestine. With this alarming finding, the patient was referred to a colonoscopist<\/strong> for further evaluation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The colonoscopist, equipped with the latest technology\u2014including a robotic arm and remote-controlled scope<\/strong>\u2014performed the procedure while viewing the monitor. His detailed notes stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “After inserting the scope through the anus and advancing two to three inches, I encountered a circular, constricting mass obstructing the lumen. I saw a small slit-like opening and managed to pass through it, only to reach a blind pouch. I attempted further but was forced to retreat and take biopsies.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The \u201cmass,\u201d it would later be revealed, was not a tumor at all<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pathologist<\/strong>, after reviewing the clinical history and biopsy specimens, reported adenocarcinoma<\/strong>\u2014a malignant tumor originating from glandular tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That night, the patient developed an acute abdomen<\/strong>\u2014sudden, severe abdominal pain. An erect abdominal X-ray<\/strong> revealed gas under the diaphragm (GUD)<\/strong>, suggesting a perforated viscus. An emergency laparotomy<\/strong> was performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To the surgeon\u2019s surprise, there was no perforation or pathology in the abdomen<\/strong>. The operation ended with no therapeutic intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, the patient survived. But what followed was a painful retrospective realization of systemic failure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All this occurred because not one clinician conducted a simple digital rectal examination (P.R.)<\/strong>, a basic skill taught in every medical school. As noted in the surgical textbook Bailey & Love<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe abdomen is a magic box\u2014if you don\u2019t put your finger in, you may end up putting your foot in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n More than 90% of rectal cancers<\/strong> are within reach of a gloved examining finger. Yet the exam was skipped entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not just a story of individual failure\u2014it is a warning about what happens when merit is discarded in favor of favoritism<\/strong>. In Myanmar today, many so-called specialists are appointed not for skill or knowledge, but due to connections with the military regime<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite having access to modern technology, these \u201cdoctors\u201d operate with stone-age mindsets<\/strong>, perpetuated by a racist, xenophobic, and fanatical junta. Under the military dictatorship of the SPDC<\/strong>, Myanmar\u2019s medical institutions have become a dangerous circus\u2014with patients as unwilling performers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us not forget: medicine is a sacred trust. Without competence, integrity, and accountability<\/strong>, it becomes malpractice dressed in a white coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This account is not hypothetical. It was a real case<\/strong>, shared with me by a former medical student during a Skype conversation years later. Back in the early 1980s, I was serving as a Demonstrator and Assistant Surgeon<\/strong> in Anatomy and Surgery at the Institute of Medicine Mandalay (IMM), now MMU. He was one of the brightest and most dedicated students I had\u2014often coming to me for extra teaching in between regular classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Years later, while undergoing surgical training in Thailand, he contacted me again\u2014this time, deeply frustrated. He had just learned that I had been denied the chance to enter the local Master’s program in Surgery<\/strong>, despite my qualifications and dedication. He was visibly upset by what he saw as a betrayal of meritocracy<\/strong>, especially given how hard I had worked to teach and guide students like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He went on to train across Europe and ASEAN countries, eventually becoming a Professor of Surgery and Head of Department<\/strong> in his subspecialty field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was he who shared this case with me\u2014real, shocking, and utterly preventable. His story is a sobering reminder of how far a system can fall when those in power prioritize connections over competence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By The original uploader was Kurosawa at Italian Wikipedia. – Transferred from it.wikipedia to Commons by Marcok using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=7783809 When meritocracy is abandoned, clowns inevitably rise to the top\u2014and nowhere is this more dangerous than in the field of medicine. Let\u2019s examine a tragicomic case from the Myanmar medical system, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,30,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-racism","category-health","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1605"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1608,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1605\/revisions\/1608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nCT Misread as Cancer<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA Colonoscopy Gone Wrong<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nPathology Compounds the Error<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nEmergency Surgery Unveils the Truth<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPostmortem of a Medical Farce<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Constipation was a red flag symptom that any competent first-year medical student could have traced back to thyroid dysfunction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA Broader Diagnosis: Systemic Incompetence<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPostscript: A True Story from a Student Who Never Forgot<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n