Has medical profession become a business or tool to earn money?

@Pallavi

What is desired and desirable is to ensure appropriate punishment neither over or under punishment of the guilty doctor.As far as the reality is concerned doctors in most cases manage to get away with their wrong-doing by leveraging their superior postion vis-a-vis poor patients.As far as giving protection to doctors in cases of errors of judgement,they are already protected and there could be a number of cases where a team of doctors exercises their expertise.For example a neuro-surgeon performing a critical operation along with an anaesthesist and others greatly depends on them for the success of that operation and it's quite possible that failure on the part of any of them may result in a disaster despite the fact the surgeon maight have exercised utmost care in performing that operation.

Another area which deserves to be treated with great seriousness is the malpractice involving prescription of drugs.I came across a national level study which exposed the doctors in very poor light.The percentage of cases where the doctors prescribed drugs when no drug was required to be administered is alarmingly high!Similarly most of the doctors prescribe drugs of the expensive variety of the same generic group in collusion with drug companies in return for expensive gifts,foreign tour and trips!This is an unberable and thoroughly unacceptable conduct on the part of some of our doctors! It's as much in the interest of the doctors as the patients that sanity is restored in this field without any further delay and procative actions from the conscentious members of this profession whose good name come under the cloud because of aberrant and deviant conduct on the part of their stinkingly corrupt colleagues!

Sorry for being absent for three days due to Navami holidays.So all here are in support that the medical profession had become a money vending profession.But none of you have mentioned the odd in them.There was a report in Mathrubhumi Weekend supplement of last week about Dr.Bahuleyan.He came out from a backward family and studied by his own efforts and sttled in USA for a while.Lacks of Dollars were in his credit and at a time he was the owner of 5 mercedes benz cars.But he sold all those and returned to his village and started an hospital for his villagers.He works there still as a doctor with the lowest paid salary!He says he need only that for living now!!

Another one was near to me who dies some years ago.He used to collect only Rs 1/- as consultation fee.Remember the other fresh doctors were at Rs 30/- range in that days.Also this doctor prescribed medicine only if needed and that also will be cheap but curing the disease.

In new generation also one of my friend is there.He also offer free service to his natives and economically back families.His consultation fee also is low!

What happened to todays doctors is that as already told they had paid huge amount as capitation fee.To get it back two options are in front of them.One is the dowry during marriage which most pays readily for their daughters.The remaining amount is collected from patients and the company offers provided for this "valuable" service.

Regarding the second part of the discussion -

A mishap occurs due to two reasons.One is the extreme condition of the patient where doctor may be helpless.The second one is the mistake of doctor due to lack of attention.But here what we have to think before punishment is that the same doctor may had saved many many lives from extinction.Due to a single incident one should not be crucified.At that moments anger no one will care the lives he saved.Instead will attack on the single life he was unable to save.That is human psychology related.But if it was proved that the mishap occured surely due to the carelessness of the doctor he should be punished since his carelessness caused a life to go who may be the whole of a family or all in all to some children.

I think the law imposed on such issues should have some more clarity and sharpness in implementing , to avoid such mishaps from any one's hand.

I am happy that Abid cited a few positive cases which,I am sure,would warm the cockles of hearts of all members in this forum.There could be hardly any scope for disagreement when doctors are what they mean to be! Sadly the reality should not be viewed through the prism of a few good deeds of a few good doctors!Leaving our individual perceptions and biases let us look what the society thinks about them.Why did the government have to enact a law fixing civil liablity of doctors when such a law was not there even a few decades back? It's because of the growing number of cases of negligence and corruption amidst medical fraternity.Why has the government passed a law making acceptance of gift by doctors from pharmaceutical companies a cognizable offence? It's because it felt the need to crack the whip when the situation was threatening to get out of hand as a dominant section of doctors made a habit of entering into a deal with pharma companies.All these legislations suggest that there is something rotten about this profession which has to be treated with right medicine! There might be some exceptional cases but that in no way presents a very comforting situation for us.

Now coming to the part of the argument which pointedly asks us to remember a doctor's good work while punishing him for anything wrong.My take is no! We should not and need not! Just think of the implication of doing so.Every life is precious and a mother losing her only son due to criminal medical negligence is doomed for ever.Such consideration defies logic and has no relevance and judicial merit.While we are all solidly behind the doctors who are alive to medical ethics and moral sensibilities and we should all stand and condemn the murderous,immoral and detrimental activities of the corrupt ones!

Chinmoy has very well explained the problem...I agree with him..

@abid

I too know some very good doctor who are honest and are good in treating any cases...But i just want to remind you that only considering one or two good doctors is not advisable.In case of governement doctors even though some doctors are honest, due to other corrupted people around them they act irresponsible and i have seen such doctors too..They do not have morals and doesnt know the value of life...I am not trying to convince that all doctors are bad and they need punishement when some mishap happens...But i want to say that when foundation is not strong how can a wall withstand..Similarly if doctors who do not have good foundation in character as well as their subject..what is the use of such people...So before declaring him as a doctor a tough criteria should be followed in selecting them...
this can give some good doctors to the society...

Regarding corruption it is everywhere in any profession so i think is injurious to any field....

I would like to quote an incident which happened in TamilNadu some years back where a doctor couple allowed their 10 th standard studying son to operate on a lady who was about to deliver a baby.There was no follow up on the news after that.What i want to convey here is negligence of duty by the doctor couple.They had a main motto of somehow registering their son's name in limca record books or some other world record book.They failed to consider the patient's life.

Now a days the doctors forget the motto,service and ethics and they use their profession and fame as a tool for earning money.

Nagalakshmi,

What you pointed out is really a punishable situation.That doctor couples wanted fame for their son and a poor patient became a victim of their act.They should be given severe punishment as a model for deviating from all medical ethics.

@Rajani,

What I pointed out is that there are some doctors in society who are not so greedy towards money.So we should not look all through the same spec.This greedy mind had came to existance in recent years only.You just ask your grandmother how doctor was to them?Does he compelled for money or denied consultation due to lack of money? At present it may occur or negligence may be there due to lack of money.

chinmoymukherjee wrote:
[quote] Sadly the reality should not be viewed through the prism of a few good deeds of a few good doctors!Leaving our individual perceptions and biases let us look what the society thinks about them.Why did the government have to enact a law fixing civil liablity of doctors when such a law was not there even a few decades back? It's because of the growing number of cases of negligence and corruption amidst medical fraternity.Why has the government passed a law making acceptance of gift by doctors from pharmaceutical companies a cognizable offence? It's because it felt the need to crack the whip when the situation was threatening to get out of hand as a dominant section of doctors made a habit of entering into a deal with pharma companies.All these legislations suggest that there is something rotten about this profession which has to be treated with right medicine! There might be some exceptional cases but that in no way presents a very comforting situation for us.[/quote]

You are right Ceeam.But have you noticed same type of legislation against accepting gifts or cash. It was also recently introduced.Did it mean all the government offices are corrupted?Even in a government controlled LP School you can see that board.

Society thinks as individual thinks.When Each individual joins it becomes a society.Some will say good thing only about a doctor while with the same mouth they will be scolding some other doctor.It is due to their experience.Each Man is different from other in many things and character is one important thing in it.So we should not look to those what other say.Try to have our own opinion.

[quote]Now coming to the part of the argument which pointedly asks us to remember a doctor's good work while punishing him for anything wrong.My take is no! We should not and need not! Just think of the implication of doing so.Every life is precious and a mother losing her only son due to criminal medical negligence is doomed for ever.Such consideration defies logic and has no relevance and judicial merit.While we are all solidly behind the doctors who are alive to medical ethics and moral sensibilities and we should all stand and condemn the murderous,immoral and detrimental activities of the corrupt ones![/quote]

Yes.If it is due to his negligence he should be punished without looking to his previous records.What I told is not that case.A single mistake after a number of good deeds should be tolerated.What people today is not having is this tolerance.

To make it clear you think you are a doctor who saved your society selfish less for about 20 years and was good during your service. But unfortunately the one and only one son of a lady happened to be slipped from your hands by God's fate.If you get some punishment on this what will be your mental state?Can you do good work in future after this punishment?Will you serve your society as before?But if you were forgiven what will be your future attitude?Don't you be more vigilant after that?

Abid Areacode wrote:
[quote]
To make it clear you think you are a doctor who saved your society selfish less for about 20 years and was good during your service. But unfortunately the one and only one son of a lady happened to be slipped from your hands by God's fate.If you get some punishment on this what will be your mental state?Can you do good work in future after this punishment?Will you serve your society as before?But if you were forgiven what will be your future attitude?Don't you be more vigilant after that?[/quote]

Abid,

I hope you know that before taking any risks now-a-days any doctor will ask the patients relatives to sign agreement..so such people even after commit mistake, they are not punished...So the question of the Doctor's mental state doesnt come..

Most of the neglience cases we are talking about is due to irresponsible behaviour...let me give a live example:
Recently, a guy went to hospital with stomach pain and the senior doctor suggested some tests...surprisingly he was suggested Brain scanning too...And the patient have done it also without questioning..Then the doctor asked the patients relatives to sign aggrement as he has to undergo a brain operation .... Unfortunately they signed without consulting anyone..The person died after the operation..

Actually i narrated this to give you idea about how people believe in doctor and how irresponsible they behave...
You may get doubt why was he treated for brain when he is suffering from stomach pain...Now though the realtives have filed a case...it is going to go aganist them as they have signed the agreement... :(

Do you think do any patient can harm them in anyway after hearing this...??? :huh:

It's nice to see that the majority opinion is veering to the view that there is something very seriously going wrong with is profession and it has to be rescued from the sharks of this profession.

@Abid

Each and every word I have employed in writing my post is not my subjective opinion but the objective reality I went through!Let me narrate my two experiences involving myself and my family.When I was a kid I had a snakebite and the quarters where we were staying was in the first floor and in the ground floor there was a doctor's dispensary and the doctor was very old.In fact,He was an LMF.Hearing the screams he rushed upstairs and took me into his arms to take me to the nearest hospital even before my father knew anything about it! My eyes get tearful when I remeber this great saving act of the doctor!And the second incident was involving my late father.A young doctor was treating him with fair success for a pretty long time and his visits were almost weekly.The day before his end came the doctor visited and attended to declare that he won't live beyond a few hours much to the shock and dismay of all.I still remember as a boy I silently followed him with his bag and as he was about to ride the rickshaw I handed him a hundred rupee currency note as his fees and he took it and demanded the rickshaw fare without bothering to look at my distraught face! I still remember his cruel face!!!!

OK Rajani,

I agreed. Do you think those signed agreement will have any value before court? It is just to make people a sense that we had signed and approaching court in this regard will not have any value.Actually they are making their side clear.Do they know whether we are putting the correct sign or not?If you had signed like me will it be acceptable.So they had their ways to escape and we had our ways to escape.

Regarding the case you narrated above there is severe negligence from patient side also.Why they didn't ask its necessity first?After happening something rising the question is not at all relevant.

So if patient is vigilant doctors will not play more and will be more vigilant also.It is the duty of ourselves to care and be careful about our patients rather than a doctor or nurse.Then only they also will be more careful.

@Chinmoy,

So as I told you had experienced the difference between the two generation doctors.In fact the old doctors were not greedy.Now money is the king to determine any thing and hence people seek it by any cost.So this doctors had got the best chance to earn it easily.Money has one more peculiarity - it will never satisfy a human being as enough , but will say some more some more ...Even the luxurious man in the world still open some new ventures to collect more.So how can we expect good experience from them?

@Abid

That's precisely the point we have been discussing at length.Deviation or departure from the correct path has caused this sense alienation.Earlier a silent trust used to guide this sacred relations between the two.We hear reports of violence being committed against doctors by the members of the victim's family that's a very disturbing trend as however passionately we crticize the wrong practices of some,doctors are indispensable in any society.But the present situation is sole created by the despicably greedy minded and inhuman members of this profession and if the situation has to be set right the prominent members who have unblemished records have to lead this war against misguided fellow travellers of this medical community.I remember a proverb 'before we seek respect,be respectable'.I am sure if doctors make a small beginning they would get back the honour,love and gratitude of millions of people like me which they commanded even a few decades back!

Abid
I completely agree with you the problem is also there from patient's side and even court will analyze the case as it is clear case of improper dignosis and treatment..But i am talking in common, some cases are unsolvable and mostly doctor can escape easily compared to patient...And i am giving all this explanation to tell you that only in some cases the doctors are clearly punished for doing misdeeds...and as said by other they can escape easily...

But if we compare such cases with foreign medical system it is some what complete different as the doctors have to prove themseleves that they are not guilty...which is really impossible sometimes...and punishment is really severe...so they never neglect or be disloyal to their profession..

I also agree with @ chinmoy previous comments of corruption of premium organization and also know that olden days were quiet good for patients when compared to today's medical system...And want to conclude that doctor's now-a-days,are misusing their profession due to many factors or needs..And proper system both in medical education and profession can avoid this..

Friends,
It is clear that the present generation doctors are entirely different from the past generation of doctors.That is why we are frequently hearing the news of hospital attacks and others.Earlier it was very very rare.This is a combined effect.

First of all doctors exploit the patients to its maximum.So if he fails to save the patient even after it definitely patient's men will be angry.

Secondly the mental attitude of humans had totally changed.The mercy,kindness and tolerance etc has no place in present society.All had their own business and have an attitude that if I pays for something I should get its full result.It may be possible in some cases while in some others there is a chance of 50-50 or less than it.

As Rajani told we cannot compare our system with foreign practices.Their culture is entirely different.They are born and brought up in that way.So they will have some more responsibilities and care.But our situation is like this.We are born and brought up through these situations and naturally our response will be in that way.

Now the time to close the discussion is fast approaching. Let me sum up the discussion points:
The discussion is on two questions:
(a) Is medical profession a business or tool to earn money?
(b) Should a doctor be punished severely for negligence in treating a patient.

I have mentioned many malpractices in the medical profession for which drastic punishment is required. But the issue is more about negligence rather than outright fraudulent practices about which there can be no dispute.

Regarding first point, I am to express in the affirmative. The medical profession has become a business and a tool to earn money. Every business and profession is for earning money. But medical profession is a noble profession and all concerned are required to maintain high standards of morality and professional ethics. Unfortunately, this is not so. The doctors are doing everything including collusion with laboratories, chemists, hospitals to fleece the patients.

The second point is about punishment for negligence. I opine that only gross negligence is punishable. Honest error of judgment about treatment and mistake in diagnosis are condonable. However, the expert committee of medical experts should decide the extent of negligence and punishment.

I conclude my discussion with above.

Dear friends, it's time to record my pleasure to interact with all of you in understanding the various facets of the problem and give my concluding views on the matter.I think all we have covered almost all the aspects of the problem.But before I conclude I must make a mention of the tragedy of Dr.Kunal Saha who lost his beloved wife Anuradha Saha in 1998 when they came to vist their home and she died of a skin infection and I am not going into the details of the case which reached even the Apex court.It's landmark case on medical negligence.It's very interesting in the sense that this charge of medical negligence came from a doctor himself and another aspect is after spending a few crores he is still waiting for justice which gives us an idea of the power of the wrong-doing doctors in India!I won't try your patience any further but would only emphasize that doctors need to revisit the ideals incorporated in the Hippocratic oath which is administered to them.While a scrupulous,dutiful and humane doctor is an asset to be treasured,an unscruplulous,greedy doctor is a blot on our society and has to dealt with accordingly.This is the message the forum sends to them.On conclusion I thank you all and reproduce the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath.

"I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."

I also wish to conclude my discussion.The topic was -

Has medical profession become a business or tool to earn money? And should a doctor be punished severely for negligence in treating a patient?

Due to the present attitude of society the medical profession had totally changed to a money earning profession.In busy mood of earning maximum amount they are negligent towards the life of patients.So if the case is proved that the mishap is due to pure negligence severe punishment is required.If it occurs as a human mistake, whatever be the degree of loss it should be tolerated by patient's party.So my sincere request to the medical authority is that medical profession should not be made 'a garland in the hands of a monkey'

Thanks friends for exhibiting a very very active GD in this week.

Thank you all for your views. The discussion is closed for this week.