To explain the absurdity of this I need to tell a story. When I was a Trainee Intern on my surgical run (final year of medical school) my role was assistant to whoever on the team needed assistance. 1/10 https://twitter.com/docdanz007/status/1247023604379738112

In practice this meant backing up the house surgeon on all the ward work that needed to be done over the day. Or, if the ward was quiet (or the Consultant was busy in theatre and needed assistance, “escaping” to theatre with him). 2/10

Well it was partway through the run and we had a week when the house surgeon was sick. Like properly sick and couldn’t come in to work for the week. So I ended up being promoted to house surgeon for the week on the most demanding surgical team in the hospital. 3/10

This, and I say this with all honesty, was the busiest and most intense week of my entire medical school experience. An 80hr work week. Running the ward team the whole time. My seniors in theatre for most of it. 4/10

At the end of the week I felt exhausted but fulfilled and above all USEFUL until... 5/10

I was pulled aside by the registrar at the end of the week and confronted about where I had been all week and why they hadn’t seen me in theatre. they KNEW I was running the ward team alone. When I pointed this out to him he said something that has stuck with me ever since. 6/10

“The world is a stage and in medical work this is more so for surgery than anywhere else”. It’s not important to “DO” what is important is to be “SEEN TO BE DOING”. I was so deflated, disillusioned and depressed it was just about the closest I came to giving up. 7/10

To sum up, that is why I decided I could never be a surgeon and why I most certainly could never be a politician. It is also why it riles me up when people are criticised for what they are not “SEEN DOING” when there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. 8/10

The MoH is overseeing a department that has proven itself highly functional, responsive and adaptable on international comparisons. I mean who the heck do you think appointed Ashley Bloomfield?! 9/10

Has David Clark done all I had hoped for in Health? No. Has he not made any political or portfolio missteps? Of course not. But our health system is in a much better state that it was in 3-5years ago with better access to health services, esp for the most vulnerable. /END