Stress Endured by Unpaid Doctors: A Case at Juba Teaching Hospital (Part 2)
By Jessry Pasquali Oboya The internship year is an important formative year which may present some unique challenges to doctors. Thus, for a junior doctor to achieve effective training, good quality supervisors and adequate opportunities for experimental learning are a prerequisite. Also, conductive environment, personal attributes and good support systems are essential. Studies have been conducted in several countries, including middle and low income countries, to understand the challenges facing medical practitioners, the stress they encounter and its effect on their performance and commitment. Several factors were identified as major causes of stress among the house officers. These include poor work environment, social life imbalance, high patient load, inadequate time with relatives, medico-legal threats, annoying and uncooperative patients, frequent on-calls, consultations and insufficient salaries. The house officer in our country faces the gravest forms of these challenges compared to his colleagues in other parts of the world. The issue of […]