These are my views

[Dr ra]

Hi all,
Since this is my first post I would like to ask you guys a question which has troubled me.
Why are doctors expected to be pure and totally selfless?
My view:
What people fail to understand that medicine is not a charity, it is just like any other profession. So expecting a doctor to work selflessly for the benefits of the society is hoping far too much. I would like to narrate a small story. Once upon a time a patient came to an ophthalmologist for an eye check up. The doctor patiently examined the patient’s eyes for errors of refraction, just to discover that both the eyes were perfectly normal. When the doctor told his findings to the patient he refused to pay his fees. The patient’s argument was that if his eyes were perfectly normal why doctor had to waste so much time on examining them. Since the doctor had not discovered anything significant in his eyes, he was at fault in asking for his fees. Imagine that !!!!!!!!!! This would sound most ridiculous to all the doctors, but then many patients do have weird expectations from the doctors.
The second most important thing is that besides diseases, resuscitation, ICU, drugs, etc there is a power called GOD, which keeps everything thing under control. I have seen cases when everyone had lost all hope but the patient survived despite all odds. At the same time there have been patients were simple fever resulted in death or quadriplegia. So if patients start blaming their doctor for every mishap that happens, I don’t think that is fair. The patients need to think more rationally and consider the fact that though doctors have been treated like GOD, since time immemorial they too have their own limitations related to their being human soles.
Also I feel that working hours of the junior doctors need to be reduced. When a doctor has got no rest since last 24 hours, his reflexes are bound to get weak, he is likely to get irritated and start working at a spinal level. A doctor is not a superhuman. He also needs rest and relaxation.
Having said this I don’t mean to say that doctors can adopt a carefree attitude or be careless in their work. The above two paragraphs are just to make a common man understand the limitations of a doctor and not to expect too much from them. Once I told a patient why to consider me as a God when I am human just like you. The patient replied “doctor, we have never seen God, but still we pray t5o them everyday, however I have seen you so what is the harm in pinning all my hopes on you”. The patient had very aptly summarized the belief of the patients in their doctor. Therefore the doctors need to act in an extremely mature and responsible manner and from their side to try to do the best they can for the benefit of the patient.
Those were my views, what are yours?

[Suvash]

Dr Ra, I totally agree with you that there has been some confusions and misunderstanding over the image and role of doctors in our society. Its true doctors are like any other professionals. They work to earn their living.

But what we have to consider is - everywhere in the world, no other profession carries the dignity and respect as doctors. They are looked very high, they have the highest prestige and are at the top of the social hierarchy. This is because of their work, they work and save peoples life, provide them comfort and make them able to work and earn their living. So, this seems a great humanity and charity work though we are being paid for that. So, people are bound to get confused about our work as we provide help and comfort directly to the needed ones.

and in another sense, we have to pay something for what we get. may be the immense pressure of curing the patient and taking care of him is what we have to pay for the great respect we receive.