Bills, bills, bills

Thirty or 40 years ago the medical profession was one of the high-earning ones. Now accountants and lawyers laugh at us.
Dr Peter Foley, GP

Patients who question the fact that you charge a fee are annoying. Would they tell their plumber that they are a pensioner and cannot pay? Would they expect a relative to study for 15 years and reap no financial reward?
Dr Paul Bannon, cardiac surgeon

Would you go to the supermarket and buy groceries and say, "I'll come in on Tuesday to pay for it?" We're treated as a commodity you don't have to pay for, and we rely on a number of people paying to cover the 10-20 percent who don't.
Dr Peter Foley, GP

Pills, pills, pills

Prescribing Information (PI) is a glorified escape clause. It is the drug company's long-winded way of saying, "I told you so." It's there to protect them ? not you.
Dr Ron Elisha, GP

Sometimes it's easier for a doctor to write a prescription for a medicine than to explain why the patient does not need it.
Cardiologist

Final diagnosis

I get irritated when a patient doubts my evaluation and relates the opinion of a less qualified doctor who practises the same discipline. He should just ask me to explain why there's a difference in opinion instead of doubting me.
Obstetrician-Gynaecologist

We explain most things to our patient's family members but some seem to have selective hearing. When relatives visit, they invariably say the doctor never explained anything and they still don't know the diagnosis. They should just ask if they're unclear about anything.
Paediatric cardiologist

This article is from Reader's Digest