Please Note: This article is intended only for doctors. Non-medicos please skip it.
DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost.
Please share this post among your friends and relatives on Facebook, Google +, etc, using the Buttons above 'Labels' and below 'Posted By'.
News items such as doctors remove huge tumour, done
such an operation in the city for first time, introduced such & such
facility, appears frequently in the press. On reading it many doctors comment
negatively.
These doctors ask, why this publicity stunt, why are these
doctors promoting themselves, why are they blowing their own trumpet? In
private sectors indirect peer pressure is exerted to discourage such
activities. In government sector there may be direct pressure from
administration and seniors to discourage such ‘paper-baazi’ by juniors.
Nowadays, bad publicity is being
thrust on medical professions. This is especially true of the government
sector, as the doctors there do not have the liberty to choose their patients
and the increasing attitude of the public, the politicians and bureaucrats to
treat government doctors as public slaves.
On talking to media persons and
news-reporters, they (reporters) state clearly that if anyone claims deficiency
in services of doctors they have no choice but to publish it. They have to air
the grievances of the public. On the other hand most of them are glad to
publish anything that will help in building the medical profession’s image.
As people are most reluctant to say anything positive
about doctors, this has to come from the doctor community itself. This is
especially true for the government sector.
Let us examine one by one few objections to such
positive reports.
1)
Personal propaganda: When a bad report about certain doctor
is published, we are quick to say that he has given a bad name to the
profession. This is true to large extent as after few days, only few person in
general public will remember the specific doctor’s name; many will remember the
place of his working and almost all will remember that a member of medical
profession has done something bad. This is true for good report also. After
some time the general public will forget the specific doctor’s name, but is likely
to remember something positive was done by doctors working in a particular
place or city. Ultimately the name of the city and medical profession is
highlighted more than the name of the doctors involved.
2)
Routine job: Some doctors ask, after all, it is the work of
doctors to provide full care to the patients. Then why proclaim loudly what is
their normal duty? If routine complications, such as wound infection after surgery,
or some complications which can occur even after full precautions such as CBD
injury during cholecystectomy gets highlighted in media as some heinous crime,
then why not counteract by highlighting almost routine cases as achievements.
3)
Against medical ethics: Having large nameplates or sign-boards,
notice-boards proclaiming address, advertisement of hospitals bearing the name
of doctors working there, writing membership and fellowships short forms after
names to give impression of degree, writing non-MCI recognized degrees and
qualifications, etc is more clearly mentioned as being against medical ethics.
Yet many of those doctors who are indulging in one or more of the above
mentioned practices still say highlighting medical advancements or achievements
in media is against medical ethics.
As is the way to fight fire is with fire, same way is
to fight bad publicity with good publicity. The medical community must develop
positive attitude towards any good report appearing in media about doctors.
In fact, doctors should encourage each other to
publish more media reports highlighting the good work being done by doctors. This
will help in building a positive image of medical professions.
This positive image of medical profession in public will
lead to greater work-satisfaction by doctors, increasing their productivity,
attract more talented youngster to medical profession, which will ultimately benefit
the society.
— NKD
© Author. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost.
Please share this post among your friends and relatives on Facebook, Google +, etc, using the Buttons above 'Labels' and below 'Posted By'.
You can receive notification on
latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts
(Atom)
