Doctors with conscience speak out

[Wounded-Monk]

I do understand your sentiments, our comfort and life is destroyed when we enter into medical field, young doctors are not paid much and on the top of that people wont appreciate or understand your desire for money.........thats why its not for every one, there is lot of spirituality in this field if you search for it, without that it is tiresome profession of making lot of money. I owe my change of angle of thoughts about my profession due to certain person and incident, and i am thankful to him. I always pray from Allah to keep my thoughts and views consistent regarding this, as humans are weak and are continuously tested.

Respected doctor this is what I call dis-oriented sense of self righteousness which is common among doctors in this part of the world as well (me included earlier). And then reality strikes........

It is not a coincidence that system is like it is today. And I think people gaining apathy of doctors are earned by themselves. When society apply CPA on doctors then it is indeed business.

Few months ago when I was just passing by emergency I heard in one of the biggest govt hospitals in Delhi one of the attendants of a patient frustrated with the system remarked that this hospital is not for humans (meaning much like hordes of animals being treated). And he was so true (painfully). In these remote corners of dusty hospital there is no sign of spirituality let alone peace.

 

[wolfschanzze]

I think there is a confusion between 'making money' and 'making money legitimately'.

And I think there should not be any confusion about whether pushing patients for unnecessary medical tests and procedures by taking advantage of their vulnerabilities, where some of the tests and procedures can even be harmful for the patients, is 'immoral', 'unethical' and 'illegitimate' or not.

And one wrong doesn't justify another, a doctor's profession has its share of hazards, some of them are undue, but that is not a licence for such malpractices.

It is even more unfortunate when some doctors say that corporate hospitals will put you under unnecessary tests and procedures that will fleece you and even harm you, just because they have their expenses. Every business has its expenses, charge patients accordingly, but don't treat them like guineapigs, is it too much to ask for?

If you work in Corporate hospitals you have to deliver the numbers to them or else be fired from job.
The basic salary of a Doctor in Government hospital is so pathetic around 20-25k INR for 14+ hours a day and how does he take care of himself and his family in that money in nowadays time,when a 10th class fail Call center executive is earning 15-20kINR, while you spent around 10+ years of your life studying as a Doctor.
If the Government raises the salaries on par with other sectors, then you wont see this unnecessary medical tests nor,will doctors be enticed by Medical Company tours and commissions.

 

[dray]

If you work in Corporate hospitals you have to deliver the numbers to them or else be fired from job.
The basic salary of a Doctor in Government hospital is so pathetic around 20-25k INR for 14+ hours a day and how does he take care of himself and his family in that money in nowadays time,when a 10th class fail Call center executive is earning 15-20kINR, while you spent around 10+ years of your life studying as a Doctor.
If the Government raises the salaries on par with other sectors, then you wont see this unnecessary medical tests nor,will doctors be enticed by Medical Company tours and commissions.

I know the culture of the corporate hospitals, and I want that to be regulated. If needed, then they should charge more for the necessary treatment instead of pushing the patients towards more unnecessary tests and procedures. And don't tell me that with the existing rates in corporate hospitals they cannot make profit in a fair manner, these corporate hospitals are just being greedy because they can. Remember, there are good hospitals run by trusts and NGOs also that provide good service in a fair manner without indulging in such malpractices, corporate hospitals can charge higher, but should they be allowed to do a ct-scan or an angioplasty on me even when I don't need it? Yes, doctors in corporate hospitals will earn less in that case, but even then it would be a very decent amount, I know how much some doctors earn in corporate hospitals. There should not be any alternative to earning legitimately.

What you are saying is also said by the bank employees selling dubious insurance products; 'need to save the job'. And if corporate hospitals need to earn more profit by hook or crook, then how they are different from the adulterated food merchants or the corrupt politicians who also need money to fight elections, or maybe that police who need to take bribe to feed his family?

In fact, I would say that the policeman taking bribe for giving police verification report for my passport is far less a criminal than a doctor who is unnecessarily putting my child under a abdominal CT-scan causing him to expose to harmful radiation just to earn his commission or save his job.

 

[wolfschanzze]

I know the culture of the corporate hospitals, and I want that to be regulated. If needed, then they should charge more for the necessary treatment instead of pushing the patients towards more unnecessary tests and procedures. And don't tell me that with the existing rates in corporate hospitals they cannot make profit in a fair manner, these corporate hospitals are just being greedy because they can. Remember, there are good hospitals run by trusts and NGOs also that provide good service in a fair manner without indulging in such malpractices, corporate hospitals can charge higher, but should they be allowed to do a ct-scan or an angioplasty on me even when I don't need it? Yes, doctors in corporate hospitals will earn less in that case, but even then it would be a very decent amount, I know how much some doctors earn in corporate hospitals. There should not be any alternative to earning legitimately.

What you are saying is also said by the bank employees selling dubious insurance products; 'need to save the job'. And if corporate hospitals need to earn more profit by hook or crook, then how they are different from the adulterated food merchants or the corrupt politicians who also need money to fight elections, or maybe that police who need to take bribe to feed his family?

In fact, I would say that the policeman taking bribe for giving police verification report for my passport is far less a criminal than a doctor who is unnecessarily putting my child under a abdominal CT-scan causing him to expose to harmful radiation just to earn his commission or save his job.

I am not a defender of Corporate Hospitals,I for one don't like the way they function and fleece patients. Yes they overcharge and profit a lot of money.
There are some trusts and charitable hospitals which do the job very well with minimum profit.
The greed of corporate hospitals is the need to earn more and expand.otherwise in a Capitalist economy you would be overtaken/taken over by someone, that is why they try to charge a lot and in order buy latest medical machines,tech.Which costs in crores.
It is about pulling out your ace card before the other hospitals do in the Market.

What i referred was the Salaries of Government doctors, the reason Govt. hospitals have not so good standards is due to less salaries.
Govt. doctors don't make you go through unnecessary MRI,CT scans . It is the private ones who do it,since their battery of tests include MRI = 8000 INR, X-Ray + Diagnostic tests=2000 INR ,total =10000 INR per most normal patients.I haven't even included other medical procedures here.

Drug eluting stents cost 20k INR the local models, but the corporates go for foreign make devices.
The whole procedure costs over 1 lakh and you pay extra 30-40K inr as risk cover if you are diabetic,High blood pressure patient, which is found mostly in cases of heart patients. That cover of 40k Inr is just profit,there is no justification for that risk cover. Competition and the need to be ahead of others brings out the worst greed in Corporate hospitals.Since,the Government is not interested in regulating Corporate hospitals due to it's strong lobby in IMA,MCI etc. It is unlikely,there will be major changes soon, unless the order comes from top.