Physicians Heal Thyself!
Many of us must have been struck by a news item in all the leading dailies of the country and it is somewhat innocuously tucked away in a page of the newspaper but you read the news between the lines and finally fathom it your hair would stand on their ends. It relates to a proposal for a bill to be made into an enactment to check a rampant and horrendous practice very dangerously and shamelessly resorted to by a section of the members of a noble profession- whom we know as doctors! The Union Health Minister has declared his intention to this effect very recently and while addressing the media on this he has very eloquently and euphemistically put as an “unholy nexus” between drug manufactures and a section of medical fraternity. This is, indeed, a crying shame! What is heartening a majority of the saner elements in the profession has welcomed the move on the part of the government.
It is undeniably true every profession has its fair share of black sheep but and the government's move and desire to intervene indicates that there has been a steady growth in the number of this black sheep. It is equally and incontrovertibly true that we are living in a decadent society. The earlier value system has been turned topsy turvy and our doctors too are a part of this corrupt system. There is a saying : “ If your house is on fire, is your bedroom safe?” But the greed of a section of them stinks to high heavens! They receive gifts ranging from car, refrigerators, expensive foreign tours at the expense of the poor patients by selling their souls and conscience that includes prescribing drugs of expensive kinds even when the condition does not warrant, collecting commission from pathological centres of their selection and so on. It is a well-organised racket going in the name of medical service right under our noses!
The government's belated awakening to this malady should be welcomed but if we look at the fate of many a such well-meaning legislation there is hardly anything to be enthusiastic about. So let us keep our fingers crossed!!