Not just that, I also encourage people to do it and I also check those who come to me.
I even organise outreaches where I and my colleagues tell people of the need to visit the hospital once in a while even if they are not sick just to get a full body check.
Despite these, I live like a hypocrite. Telling people what should be done but not doing it myself.
In the past four or five years, I have only gone to replace my lenses.
Other than that, I have not had any other health check.
But daily, I check other people.
It's not that I don't believe what I preach or that I am scared of getting myself checked but somehow, I never find the time to do so.
I am not alone anyway because I have come to realise that the health system especially in my country (because I have not witnessed that of other places) does not practice what it preaches to the public.
For instance, we tell people of the need to get quality sleep, at least 6 hours daily. Then we proceed to having 24, 48 or sometimes even 72 hours call where you will barely get up to 4 hours sleep. It seems we don't take our health as seriously as we take that of our patients.
Secondly, we carry out mental health outreaches where we talk about prioritizing the mental health and looking out for each other but when it comes to our own curriculum of learning, it is so jam-packed that people get overwhelmed. Some people who are unable to cope with this sometimes get depressed especially if they fail the exam despite putting in all efforts.
As a medical student, we could finish an 18 months marathon program on a Thursday and be asked to resume for the next academic session the next Monday. How can someone who has not had a break for 18 months be asked to resume school after just one weekend?
It doesn't happen in other courses but only in the one that should be very knowledgeable about health.
The list goes on and on and I have come to the realisation that as a health practitioner, you have to make out time for your health. Don't let your health force you to make out time for it because it would be more dangerous.
It is even more important for doctors to be healthy because a healthy doctor is an available doctor while a sick one would not be able to practice or help out as much as he should.
I hope to take my health more seriously this year alongside my exercises and diet so as to ensure that I remain fit as a fiddle.
When next would you go for a checkup?
There is no excuse why one should not take care of his health. Before today runs out, I would have a health check done.
At least the simple ones like blood pressure and blood glucose. Then I would plan to have a full body check latest by march which is next month.