A Beginning

For some  time now I have been reading and enjoying blogs. I have found them to be informative, entertaining, encouraging, and a number of other similar adjectives. I have on occasion thought 'that happened to me once', and 'thats a good idea', but never thought to start writing myself. Recently, I read about the blogworld expo, where Dr Val would be moderating a panel on the topic 'Blogging for  change: How to influence healthcare through blogging', where a friend of mine would be speaking. Also, recently, I was listening to an interview with the same friend here, when he made an interesting point. He was asked if he knew of any other medbloggers in South Africa, and he said he didn't.. This sparked a thought - how can we effect change in our health care system through blogging if there are so few here! I decided I needed to start writing, so that maybe, on the off chance that someone of any importance stumbled across these pages, they might be enlightened to the plight of a South African doctor and his patients.


First off, a little about me. I am a medical doctor, with experience in the state and private sectors in South Africa, and more recently in the first world. I have spent the majority of my time working since my community service in what felt like a deeply rural hospital (and was staffed like one), although it isn't.. it is a referral hospital, for rather a large area. At this hospital, I spent my time split almost equally between surgery (daytime hours), and anaesthetics (after hours). I am currently looking for a post to begin specialising in surgery. I will let you know what happens in this regard in due course..


Secondly, my intentions for this blog:

1. I believe I have a rather unique viewpoint from inside the operating theatre, in that I have experience from working on both sides of the so-called 'blood-brain barrier', sometimes even at the same time, and that this would make for some entertaining reading.
   
2. It is a way to share interesting experiences, ideas, and case studies, and sometimes even give some advice I myself would have liked to have had.
3. It is a means to de-brief, and even 'rant' if necessary.
4. It is a place to share successes/ failures/ joys and frustrations.
5. My wife has a blog, and I need to show her I can do it too.
6. And lastly, I should be studying, and this is another means of procrastination.

There, thats it.. a beginning..