When Doctors become goons

Doctors are for the service of the mankind. They are next to God. Because the patient repose enormous faith in the doctor after God for his recovery.But when the doctor deviates from his sacred role as a saviour to a merchant of life and death, then it is only the God and the faith which can bail out the patient.

doctor checking on iv for detox patient HNYCA 1629

This is what happened in Behampur(Orissa) from where I hail. Out of the three Government medical college hospitals in Orissa one is in Berhampur. The Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati(MKCG) Medical College hospital in Berhampur is the lifeline of the entire South Orissa and the adjoining places of Andhra Pradesh.But of late the MKCG medical college hospital has been in the news for the wrong reasons.From baby-swapping to death of patients due to negligence have made the patients think twice to come to here. It has added another episode to its recent list of infamy the other day(May 31) when the Post Graduate students of the hospital beat up relatives of a patient who allegedly died minutes after a surgery. The relatives complained that the patient died due to faulty surgery and negligence by the attending doctors.This was enough to incense the PG students who went on the rampage like a group of goons punching and slapping the relatives of the victim.Not only this they didn't even spare the journalists who gathered there to cover the incident.

What is even shocking is that the accused PG students have not been arrested as yet.While the medical college superintendent has been maintaining an eerie silence, the Orissa government remains a mute spectator to this serious matter which has disappointed the journalist brethren and the people of the state alike.It may be recalled here that, a couple of years ago the Naveen Pattnaik government in the state bowing to the demands of the doctors had brought in a tough law to protect the doctors from possible attack by the patients or their relatives.It was OK to have a law to protect the doctors, but who will protect the patients who are dying due to the doctors' negligence? Who will rein in the rude,insensitive junior doctors who do not mind attacking the very people who they supposed to care?

The behaviour by the PG students were unbelievable and unforgivable.Because their duty is not only to treat the patients,they are also supposed to behave with their patients in a cordial and friendly manner.But witnessing the ugly behaviour by the students at the MKCG hospital one wonders whether they will fit into the doctor's role and win the trust and honour of the patients and the society.

Not only the MKCG hospital in Berhampur,negligence and indulgence in corrupt practices by the doctors have also been reported from other places from India, even from prestigious institutions like AIIMS. Day was when doctors were driven by the will to serve .But most of today's generation of doctors are seemingly driven by self and money. If this continues then only the Almighty save the helpless.