OPINION-Make Medical Profession Great Again

Medical profession, once considered divine has now become a punching bag for government, media & above all the common masses of our country. Typically loved & respected Daktar Saab is now called by all sorts of name ranging from ‘butchers’ & what not. The distrust & breakdown of doctor-patient relationship is certainly not something which has happened overnight. The relationship which was more or less solely guided by trust is now a contractual binding guided by complex laws, financial considerations & miscommunication.

Now, addressing the pressing issue of doctors’ strike in Maharashtra, at the outset, in unambiguous & absolute terms it must be made amply clear that violence, abusive behaviour, threats & intimidation have no place in any healthcare centre. Fundamental condition for any doctor to practice medicine is a fear-free environment. The doctors who work in government hospitals are underpaid & overworked professionals. A medical student who fights a hard battle to become a doctor cannot be subjected to threats, abuse & violent assaults. Spate of violent assaults on resident doctors have rocked the entire state of Maharashtra. The most brutal of them was in Dhule, where the resident orthopaedic surgeon was assaulted by patient’s relatives & he almost lost his eye. In 2010, a law was passed by Maharashtra government to ensure security of healthcare professionals with a provision of 3-year prison for any act of violence or assault on healthcare provider. At best, this act can be called as ‘Paper Tiger’. No implementation & zero convictions have occurred under this act. Hostile government attitude & insensitive remarks by the judiciary have aggravated the present crisis. Absolute security is the most fundamental condition for doctors to function. If the state fails to provide it, then doctors should not be considered liable for the ensuing circumstances.