Violence against Doctors

Rising cult of Violence! Shock, dismay, horror and anguish! These are the emotions everyone felt seeing the Hyderabad bomb blasts. In this country of Gandhi and Buddha, violence is raising its ugly head more frequently than ever. Proving the doomsday predictors that we are living in vainglorious uncertainties! The real tragedy is that the perpetrators choose soft targets like the holiday crowds. This rising cult of violence is also affecting another soft target for the protagonists of violence – the Medical Profession. And it’s the small Nursing Homes and private hospitals in semi urban areas which are more prone to these types of unwarranted brutality against the unsuspecting medical professionals. Corporate hospitals can afford the high security and the manpower required to handle such situations. But the poor doctor practicing at a remote place is highly vulnerable. Usually the patient is brought in a moribund condition, and if he does not survive, the doctor is held responsible. Manhandling the doctor, destruction of furniture, equipment and property have become commonplace. The actual culprit responsible for the pt’s death (like the truck driver in motor vehicle accidents) goes scot-free. This gross injustice has increased of late. Recently all the private doctors of Karimnagar closed their hospitals in protest against such a horrific incident. Unfortunately, the such incidents are blown out of proportion by both the print and the electronic media. The pt’s relatives are interviewed extensively but the doctor’s point of view is seldom presented. Thus the doctor loses whatever public sympathy he might get. The onus is on the medical profession to educate the public against the gross injustice meted out to doctors, who only try their best to save life or limb. If these incidents continue to happen, doctors will refuse to attend any Emergency and it is the public which will pay the price!