The Patna Patient

As an intern, Dr. Dev was posted in the Medicine Department of AIIMS, New Delhi.

For those who are not aware, after passing the final MBBS exam, the students are provisionally treated as a doctor but are required to work under supervision for one year in the hospital in various departments which is known as the internship. After successful completion of the internship, the intern is recognized as a full-fledged doctor and can then practice independently.

Dr. Dev was assigned to see the patients in the Out Patient Department under the supervision of one of the medicine junior residents. Once the junior resident was stuck in some ward work and was late in coming to the OPD. Dr. Dev started seeing the patients on its own to do at least a preliminary survey so that time is saved when the junior resident comes to OPD.

One patient had come from the city Patna from Bihar, a distance of around 1000 kilometer. He had been diagnosed with essential hypertension (high blood pressure) and the Professor of Medicine in Patna had started his treatment. On checking his blood pressure was found to be within normal range, indicating that his treatment was correct.

Dr. Dev inquired that since his blood pressure was well controlled on the treatment started in Patna, why did he come to AIIMS.

The man explained that he had shown to the professor of Medicine in Patna, who had said that he will need to take the medicines for high blood pressure for life. The patient wanted to confirm that if this was true and there was no short-term permanent treatment for his high blood pressure. Those were the days when high blood pressure was uncommon in India and the public was not well aware about it.

When Dr. Dev explained to the patient the chronic nature of the disease and the need for lifelong follow-up, monitoring, and treatment for the high blood pressure the patient got convinced. Since he will require regular check-ups Dr. Dev adviced him to continue the treatment from Patna.

Once the patient had left, Dr. Dev realized the power of an institution over an individual. The patient was not convinced by the professor of medicine as he was from Patna Medical College but got convinced by an intern as he was sitting as a doctor in AIIMS Medicine OPD. This is true in non-medical situations also.

 (Based on a true incident)

— ND
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 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. 

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 Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board’s norm. 

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