Tuesday 5 February 2008

The naked noctor?

The 'barefoot' doctor was created in the 1960s in communist China, as urban-trained doctors would not settle in rural areas. The 'barefoot' breed of doctor was typically a farmer with only a few months of very minimal training, their creation became institutionalised by Chairman Mao's cultural revolution. When the commune system of agriculture ended in 1981, so did the day of the barefoot doctor. They were told to take exams or be demoted to the position of a lowly health aide. Barefoot doctors were certainly better than no doctor at all.

Chairman Brown has obviously read brother Marx's manifesto, and has come up with some kind of new sick offshoot ideology. This has resulted in Chairman Brown's great leap backwards, however party sources insist it should only be referred to as the great leap forwards, they do have a rather strange sense of humour. The future of family medicine seems gloomy as a result, as Labour's 'naked' doctors have been empowered around the country at a Walk in Centre near you. The naked noctor is an even more extreme version of the barefoot breed; as some have only had a few weeks clinical skills training, even less than the average barefoot. The sense of the great leap backwards is hard to see, as going from fully clothed full trained GPs to these naked noctors is hardly what could be seen as progress. I guess it all depends on whose progress we are looking at, doesn't it?

ps on a completely unrelated matter congratulations to Mr Tony Blair on his latest richly deserved job

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