Who’s Afraid of Good Publicity

Please Note: This article is intended only for doctors. Non-medicos please skip it.

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. 


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