Hospital doctors risk their health by being on call 24 hours

The report, “Jet lag, shift work throw ‘clock’ genes out of sync” (Jan 22), states: “Disrupting the body clock has a serious impact on health, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than 40 per cent.”

I know of only one vital group of professionals who work 24-hour shifts. And the dedicated hospital doctors we go to in our times of need are more at risk than workers on an eight-hour shift, the data showed.

Doctors in many Singapore hospitals are on call three to four times a month, implying that there are doctors on duty every night, attending to patients while they are on call for 24 hours. Paperwork also adds to their hours. Can they be at their best during this service time, tending to lives despite lacking proper rest, at times when the critically ill may need them most? A better working schedule is in our interest and theirs.

The system spends years and money training these doctors, who give their all, with a limited social life, to face a 40 per cent increase in the chances of a heart attack.

Many First World countries have done away with the archaic, 24-hour on-call practice. Better healthcare can come from better working conditions, not from tired, overworked doctors.