Preface
Life can be a struggle. But through that struggle, great strength and resiliency is often forged. This is a tale of struggle and perseverance. And the strength of mind that was required to battle the most heinous aspects of the very dark culture that dominates the New Zealand health system.
A culture which should have been foreseen by those in power who created the perfect environment for this to occur. The consequences of which have created a health sector workforce whose ethics, morals, and beliefs on what constitutes acceptable human behaviour have been so degraded that they could easily be described as sociopaths. And indeed, a quick search of the traits of a sociopath uncovers the following
A lack of empathy for others
Little to no genuine remorse
The manipulation of other people
Lying and deceit
A sense of superiority over others
Little to no regard for right or wrong
The belief that rules do not apply to them
Aggression or hostility
What makes the situation more disturbing is that these sociopaths have been given a lot of power over the rest of us. Let that sink in.
And because they are constantly in this environment day after day and year after year, they have come to think that we are all like that too. That given the opportunity we will lie, cheat, deceive and cover up wrongdoings with little regard for right or wrong.
But what of the patients that are on the receiving end of their behaviour? As someone who has spent 35 years around these people with almost constant health issues, there is no doubt they have been my biggest influence in shaping the person i have become.
Nature has an uncanny way of creating balance in this world and the near constant battle i’ve had to endure has seen me grow into their polar opposite. The antithesis of their evil if you will. The batman to their joker I am their nemesis-created by their own hand.
But spare a thought for those patients who have not realised their doctors manipulation and deceit. Believing everything their doctors say, there are many patients whose entire lives are being directed by these sociopaths in a theatre of the absurd. Yet all they are receiving is the illusion of care.
I have learnt over the past 35 years that one of the biggest threats to our health and prosperity in New Zealand are the very doctors whom we entrust with our lives.
As we journey through the trials and tribulations of my medical misadventure, my hope is that it will stimulate an honest public discussion about the level of abuse happening in our health system at the hands of state employees. And that it will lead to change. Not just for the sake of patients but also for the sanity of those who choose health as a career,