The Doctor as Patient

What happens when a doctor falls ill?
By ANGELA EPSTEIN - Last updated at 11:01am on 12th June 2007

We all know what it's like to be at the mercy of doctors. So what happened when this man, a consultant, got cancer and saw life from a patient's point of view. His story provides a fascinating insight into modern health care

Medical training is a disadvantage when you're seriously ill, says Andrew Lawson, a consultant at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Last month he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and as physician turned patient, not only does he know the worst about his condition, but he's uniquely qualified to see what's wrong with our healthcare system.

Dr Lawson, 48, lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, a forensic physician, and their three children.

As a doctor I've always understood the random nature of many illnesses: Diseases can develop without warning and even those who lead a blameless and healthy lifestyle are not immune to serious conditions.

In medicine, it is something as clinicians we have to accept.

Daily Mail