The choice to heal

A couple of weeks back I received an interesting post on my Facebook. It read: "Amir Khan who takes 3.5 crore for his one hour show, which requires no intelligence exclaims doctor took seventy K for his four hour operation! They (doctors) are the one who deserve money not a nautanki person like you…!" A frustrated doctor after watching "Satyamev jayate." Please note that I have reproduced the post verbatim, with no edits. Obviously, the doctor needs to brush up his grammar. But then, doctors need not be proficient in linguistic skills, as long as they perform their medical duties with integrity and efficacy!
To help readers understand the context in which the Facebook comment was made, let me provide a bit of the background. For the last couple of months Amir Khan, one of the most popular Indian actors, has been conducting a reality show "Satyameva Jayate" (truth alone triumphs). The programme airs on a private Indian channel as well as the Indian National Television network and highlights social issues like female feticide, child sexual abuse and medical malpractice. The purpose is to heighten awareness on these problems and seek possible mitigating actions from the government as well as concerned social groups. While the show has bagged kudos for raising hitherto taboo issues, it has also generated intense criticism, especially from groups and individuals who have been targeted.
The episode that caused a virtual furor -- even a legal suit -- focused on the unprofessional conduct of medical practitioners and drug companies. Khan's investigative team travelled to various destinations in India and collected information from patients and families affected by medical malpractice. The shocking revelation that emerged from the interviews was that some physicians, either due to negligence or lured by monetary motives, prescribed unnecessary medicines, surgeries and even transplants resulting in irrevocable damage (sometimes death) to patients.
I guess my Facebook contact didn't quite get the drift of the programme. It was not about doctors' earnings and fees, but the risks that patients run in the face of unethical medical practices. The show raised two basic questions:
1) Are doctors abiding by their Hippocratic Oath which requires that they "prescribe regimens for the good" of their patients and "never do harm to anyone?" 2) Are there adequate safeguards in the healthcare system to protect the interests of unwary patients?
Some readers may question the necessity of Amir Khan creating hype over an issue which is already well-known. Many of us have personal stories to tell about the adverse consequences of unsound medical advice and there is nothing new in what the show presents. But, what Amir Khan does is raise the bar of accountability by creating greater social awareness and pointing out the loopholes in the system. The truth is, when a popular Bollywood star picks up the cudgel for a cause people pay closer attention. According to media accounts, the programme has generated so much interest that after the first episode was aired, the show's official website crashed due to overload of internet traffic!
I don't wish to leave the readers with the impression that medical malpractice occurs only in the developing world. The malaise exists in the West too. This month the prestigious pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline was fined $3 billion in the United States for unethical practices. The allegations include concealing the results of clinical studies; falsifying vital information about the safety of medicines and bribing medical professionals to prescribe dangerous drugs to unsuspecting patients. Quite a formidable list by all counts and enough to drive a wedge through the doctor-patient relationship which is based on trust!
It would be unfair to end this column on a negative note since, all said and done, most doctors are truly committed individuals, engaged in one of the noblest professions. Fortunately, I do have a positive story to share. During my visit to Bangladesh this year I had the opportunity to make a few visits to the Islamia Eye Hospital in Dhaka. The hospital caters mainly to the underprivileged and its charges are nominal. Islamia also runs a section for patients who can afford to pay full costs. I was truly amazed to see the efficiency and dedication of the doctors and staff, especially the chief administrator who happens to be a volunteer. What was amazing is that even the financially disadvantaged received quality service. As I noted the smiles on the faces of the erstwhile visually challenged men, women and children who could now see the colours of the world, I was filled with a sense of hope and optimism.
Yes, in the final analysis doctors can help heal patients just as they can endanger patients' lives through malpractice. The choice is theirs to make!

The writer is a renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent and a former employee of World Bank. E-mail: [email protected]