stage a work to rule will have come as a surprise to many members of the community.

Doctors, like nurses, are expected to save lives regardless of working conditions and to put their profession above their personal needs.

That ideal, as portrayed by Dr. Albert Schweitzer or Doctors Without Borders, is not precisely true. Most physicians, while prepared to work hard, also like to spend time with their families and relax.

Nonetheless, as professionals dedicated to saving lives, it has to be assumed that it takes a lot for a doctor to say enough is enough and to stage industrial action.

From the outside, that appears to be the case at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where staff shortages have led doctors to work to rule.

There is some question over how many hours the doctors are working. Some doctors claim they are working 100 hours a week, the hospital's administration says they are working 232 hours a month, which works out to 53 hours a week.

Either way, a tired doctor will be more prone to make mistakes than a fresh one, and it is good to hear that the hospital is looking to add one more resident.

At the same time, the doctors must be aware that they cannot allow their action to put anyone's health at risk.

DRUG TESTS EDT Drug tests The fact that MPs will submit to drug tests will be welcomed by many.

Members of Parliament swear to uphold the laws of the Country, appear to be committed to stopping drug abuse and can set a positive example of how drug-free Bermudians can succeed.

Delaey Robinson, who has proposed alternative strategies to stopping drug abuse since he came into the House, is wrong to say that this exercise is a stunt and wrong to boycott it; all that does is imply that Mr. Robinson uses drugs.

But there are questions about drug testing, and the decision of the House to extend it to testing for alcohol, which have not been answered.

One is what happens if MPs are found with drugs in their systems. Will they be exposed or will they be offered treatment? What standards will be applied to alcohol, which is not an illegal substance? These questions deserve to be answered. They go to the heart of how Bermuda deals with drugs and whether drug addiction and alcoholism can be dealt with as treatable conditions or criminal behaviour.