#Choosing-to-be-doctor in lawless society: A self inflicted disaster #uncivilized-society #Govt-apathy

There is increasing discontentment among doctors because of  present complex and punishing system. They are bound by so many factors that they finally end up at the receiving end all the time. They are under Hippocratic oath and therefore expected to work with very high morality, goodwill and kindness for the sufferings of mankind and dying patients.  They are also supposed to maintain meticulous documentation and also supposed to work under norms of  medical industry. They are supposed to see large number of patients with fewer staff and nursing support while still giving excellent care in these circumstances. And if these were not enough, the fear of courts and medico-legal cases, verbal threats, abuses, and physical assaults and show of distrust by patient and relatives further makes working difficult. Additionally there may be bullying by certain administrative systems at places, who use pressure tactics to get their own way.

Enslavement of doctors

NRS Hospital doctor assault

Young doctors  complete  training and find themselves working in a hostile environment, at the receiving end of public wrath, law, media for reasons they can’t fathom. They  face continuous negative publicity, poor infrastructure and preoccupied negative beliefs of society.

       They face physical assault , routine instances of verbal abuse and threat for no fault of theirs. Many become punching bags for the inept medical system and invisible medical industry. The threat of physical assault is quite real as well.  Even female doctors have not been spared by mobs. Silence of prominent social people, celebrities, human right commission  and society icons on this issue is a pointer towards increasingly uncivilized mind set of society. 

Being revengeful against doctor is very easy. They have become sitting ducks for revenge. Verbal abuse, physical harm, legal remedies, disciplinary actions, punishments, social mudslinging, court cases and legal harassment are common remedies easily available. In absence of support, lack of law and order enforcement, physical assaults and even murder is also not a distant possibility. Here it was just a treatment failure or may be a poor response to treatment, which resulted in killing of doctor’s family. If trying to treat some one can result in harm to one self, why should the doctors will choose to treat. More over why should one become a doctor at all. Such incidents of extreme violence are not merely disaster for a family, but  are warning signs to whole of profession.

     Many in such unfortunate situations must have a thought in mind “ why should one become a doctor  and serve an uncivilized society?”