By: Prim. Janez Remškar, dr. med.
I will begin my writing by saying that, as a doctor, the indecision of some in Europe in imposing sanctions on Russia is completely unacceptable! For God’s sake people, in Ukraine, due to a crazy, sick, narcissistic Putin (if we saw footage showing his physical abilities), political mistakes of the EU and the US, including the Ukrainian leadership, children, civilians are dying! At the same time, we are thinking and writing about whether petrol will be more expensive, whether there will be enough flour and whether it will be cold for a month or two! Where have we fallen, Europe? Where did you fall on our left when you wonder about this and did the visit of the three presidents to Kyiv make sense?? Are you still human? Are you aware of your egoism? Can anyone even think about their own ass, given what is happening in Ukraine? This is due to endless selfishness, overeating and forgetfulness of what happened to us 75 years ago. Economic interests are in the background, even on our left! Is this possible? It obviously is!
We also have some on the left side of politics who think similarly to rich Europe! They worry about business; they do not care about life! They have immense worries at the much-needed sharpness of the government towards Russia! If possible, they problematise every step of the government, the Foreign Minister, and the Prime Minister! Let me write again: it is not about someone forging political profits at the expense of Ukraine: it is about those who claim this defending their economic interests, just like some in the EU, at the expense of the lives of Ukrainians! Extremely wrong!
Otherwise, how is it with values, responsibility, honesty, professionalism in Slovenia? The communist system has left consequences in our society! Everywhere: in medicine, law, journalism, politics! There was no education about the necessary honesty to the public, about professionalism, except exceptionally! I have written many times that the word “profession” means responsibility, honesty to the public, which in turn trusts us! Years ago (2018, at the events of paediatric cardiac surgery) I searched for a definition of the term “professionalism”, I found the following formulation for medicine: professionalism in medicine is the usual reasonable use of communication, knowledge, and manual skills, understanding of clinic, emotions, and values, and thinking for the benefit of the individual patient and the public! In the USA, the award for professionalism adds respect to all employees! This is supposed to apply to medicine!
In healthcare, we have several cases where we have acted unfairly to the public. The inappropriate conduct of the profession in the event of the death of the boy Boro Nekrep and the operation of paediatric heart surgery in Ljubljana were the most obvious to the public! In both cases, the profession has forgotten what professionalism is, responsibility! Everyone, everyone in turn, has forgotten that their job is to treat young children, in this regard to talk based on arguments and agree on how to proceed! Everything else was a matter of the egos of individuals and the powerlessness of leaders! And now there is a lady, a professor, all those years employed at UKC LJ, now also the president of the Gibanje Svoboda party, and she states that she was completely surprised by the resignation of cardiologists at the Paediatric Clinic! If this is true, then she no longer deserves any leadership position in UKC LJ, as she is incapable of critically assessing the performance of individuals and the whole! Or is it a case of negligence and thus, with her moral integrity, she is completely primary for the president of the council in the Gibanje Svoboda of Mr. Golob!
How else is it in politics? Professionalism in politics includes processing and leading human interactions that involve power and authority. The power of good politicians is used for social networking, networking to achieve change that benefits the individual and society. Unfortunately, in everyday politics, psychologist Oliwer James has identified three predominant personality traits: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Am I wrong to write that I see this in some new political faces!
And what about journalists! These, especially on national radio and television, our most important information house, have remained socio-political workers in the service of old political structures! I accept the political orientation of a journalist because there can be neither fish nor fowl! But it is precisely because of this that the central news medium must provide the same amount of left and right comments. Someone among the journalists stated that the medium cannot be black and white. That is not true! An independent medium must take care of this black and white image and all the colours in between! Equally critical of the government and the opposition! This is his task and commitment if we want to have a medium that is professional and honest to people who are everywhere black – white and all colours in between!
The latest events on RTV SLO are in everyone’s eyes and did not surprise me! But I was surprised by the violence, the ruthlessness! A horrible resemblance to Putin’s mindset! If nothing else goes, it will go by force! What happened last week in the context of journalistic solidarity goes beyond all measures of good taste! This is far from professionalism. It became quite clear that it was not only passers-by on Kolodvorska street who shouted that RTV SLO was theirs. Journalists themselves are now shouting this. They give examples that under this government, RTV acts as a woman in a violent relationship, who is beaten all the time! At the same time, others imagine that cyclists in Ljubljana represent the entire people of Slovenia. Authoritarian, vulgar, violent, in short intimidating, Mr. Štefančič’s performance must be seen by as many people as possible! Comrades! You said it all! You said you were in the majority! Understandably with minimal impact on you and your staffing from centre-right governments over the last 30 years! RTV SLO has gathered the flower of socio-political workers in the service of failed communism. You have discovered where you belong. Okay, you have a right to your activism, but not on national television, which is owned by all of us!
Commenting on developments in paediatric cardiology and paediatric heart surgery and the work of the profession and our governments, it should be noted that both our health policy and the profession have been behaving unprofessionally, disrespectfully, irresponsibly towards sick children and their parents for many years. In 2015, the International Commission made it clear that there is disorder within the paediatric cardiac surgery services, records in the documentation are deficient, some even untrue, there is a lot of tension between the teams, there is no cooperation at all, or it is bad, and that on a field where it is crucial. Opposite of each other stand paediatric cardiologists and intensive care unit physicians on the one side, and paediatric cardiac surgeons on the other. At least we have them!
Meritocracy! Come on! We do not need it! After all, we find ourselves and sell the bad parts of companies, and the rest we privatise and something remains, right? Honesty! Is that not synonymous with stupidity here? Of course, it is! This is exactly what has been happening and is still happening with state-owned companies! Or even whole companies. Come on! It is quite clear that when I am elected to parliament, I know everything!
Janez Remškar is a doctor and publicist.
