The victim, Prashant S. Dhananka, 39,confined to the wheelchair due to negligence by a doctor at NIMS, Hyderabad got compensated for a lifetime on wheelchair.And guess what ,after 19 years !
Since India is touted and sold as 'medical tourism' spot, this case and registered cases of negligence by doctors if given enough limelight can hopefully bring about a change in attitude of doctors in India.
Sure, I completely understand that doctors in India want to recover their medical tuition fees, build a clinic- a superspecislity one in urban hotspot, send their children to US to study and all other dreams that middle class in India only dream about !
However, at the end of the day, their job is not similar to an software engineer.They are dealing with human lives !
Now , most doctors care least for human lives and same goes for hospitals . Remember we are a billion plus !
So. let's stop treating and respecting doctors as gods and quickly bring them under strict laws where if they neglect to do their duty in face of money or simply don't care enough they can be punished, sued and made to pay for their negligence in a year or two and not 19 years !
People who have gone under the knife or has seen a relative or friend getting operated very well know that hospitals and doctors explain the risk factors in 3-5 page document in which its clearly said that if anything happens to the patient on operation table its NOT their responsibility. And one HAS to sign this consent form BEFORE the operation.
In such a scenario, Indian public ,especially the uneducated ones have nowhere to turn in case of negligence by the surgeon. God knows, there must be zillions of cases languishing ,given up hope of any kind of redressal.
In US/Europe, medical fraternity is shit scared of being sued...when are our doctors going to be scared by laws and by awareness that their reputation could be ruined by being negligent. My personal opinion is, Indian doctors are overworked....they perform too many operations on monthly basis especially the really good ones. And in India- a clear 50% of the doctors have become doctors attracted by money,intelligence and because they scored 97-100% in PCB or cleared a bloody entrance exam with flying colours.
I think that's the reason young doctors especially the savvier ones protested so much when they were asked to dedicate a year of their life to rural and backward India - no money there but lots of mosquitoes !
Many more people need to become doctors because they really want to become one.
If they want to earn money, they could become software engineers !!
Agree with most of your points but
ReplyDeletesome issues.
1. For many more ppl to become doctors, we need to have enough medical institutes. There are not enough medical schools. (So some ppl become engineers not only to earn money but because at that time they think that's the second best option they have!!)
2. About US/Europe laws are being strict, I agree they make doctors to be more careful but on a hindsight most of the time they ask you to sign some 1000s of forms in which u declare that's its your sole responsibility that if something happens at the operation table. so most cases you can't do much
But I agree to the main point we need to stop thinking doctors as an angel from GOD, as they are just money making machines in this time
Sadly people who get great marks in 12th who love to become a doctor from the bottom of their heart cant do it because of the entrance exam... its ridiculous i think... in tamilnadu its based on 12th marks who can join for MBBS...everywhere else be ready to churn out lakhs to study...
ReplyDeleteBecause in our country being a doctor is like owing the golden duck.. its like freeway to wealth... So all these lazy rich kids with money dads go join and somehow manage to pass and do whatever they want...