Doctors’ Dilemma: To be or not to be..?!?!
The recent attacks on doctors at Niloufer, Nayapur and ESI hospitals were utterly barbaric and malicious. Such violence perpetrated on healthcare workers must be condemned by every sane citizen. In this context, it is very appropriate that the Government has introduced an Ordnance making violence against healthcare workers a non-bailable offence. Let us hope that this landmark Ordnance will prevent such incidents.
The life of a doctor, especially working in poorly equipped Govt Hospitals and PHCs, has become miserable. Very often, patients are bought in a moribund state beyond salvage. The bad news provoke strong emotions in the bereaved family members. And inevitably the ire turns on the health personnel in front of them. And the junior doctors and the paramedical staff bear the brunt of the displaced anger. Doctors working in small clinics and private nursing homes in semi urban areas are even more vulnerable.
Presently the student wanting to join the once-noble profession finds himself or herself in a sticky situation. First the problem of clearing the EAMCET to obtain a good rank for a merit seat. Next the problem with the course being extended by one more year as rural posting is made compulsory post MBBS.The real woes of the student start with the struggle for a Post Graduate seat in the subject of his/her choice. Getting into a PG course may itself take 2 or 3 yrs. Then the problem of completing and clearing the 3yr MD/MS course. If the student wishes to pursue a Superspeciality course, he has to spend another 4 to 5 yrs for first getting the seat and then clearing the DM/MCh. The duration of studying becomes 17-18yrs, post Intermediate, which means he is around 33 to 35 yrs old by now. And then it is back to Square Zero --- Searching for a proper job, setting up private practice or going abroad for further training!!
In complete contrast, the BTech student is recruited by Software companies in campus interviews and starts earning Rs 30-40K by the age of 21yrs! So all the X class students prefer the safer stream of Engineering courses. In fact the percentage of Intermediate students with BiPC option has gone down to 10%. In the years to come, this fraction is bound to go down.
Maybe we don’t need so many doctors in India any more!! Maybe Western medicine must be practiced only in the West! Anyways, in the near future, the number of practicing qualified doctors will drop dramatically- especially in semi-urban areas and most of the population has to rely on quacks, crooks and swindlers. Ultimately it boils down to the UGWUD syndrome ---- yoU Get What yoU Deserve!!.....
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Doctors! See good, hear good.........and let all people know you are good!!
See good, hear good, do good…….and let them know you are good!
Everyone has heard of the three monkeys of Mahathma Gandhi. But have you heard of the three other monkeys, which see, hear and speak only good? And of the fourth monkey which tells everybody how good these monkeys are? Well, the fourth monkey is their public relationship officer!
No matter how good your practice is, you need to inform the public of the services you offer. In business parlance this is called Promotion, but in fact it is a type of Health Education. These days even Gods, Godmen and Temples find the need to be advertised. So, informing the public about the various facilities offered at your hospital is certainly not a sin.
Years ago, most of the promotion of a practicing doctor took place spontaneously by word of mouth..or WOMBAT (Word of Mouth: Best Advertising Technique). This still holds true for established practitioners. But the newcomers find the competition so stiff that they need to utilize modern promotion techniques of having Marketing Executives, inserting ads in the print and electronic media, hoardings etc.
It is well known that running a Private Hospital is considered as business by the Govt. Look at the abnormal commercial charges you have to pay for Electricity bills, Telephone bills and Municipal taxes. So certainly it is not illegal if you promote your hospital’s services by modern marketing techniques………..of course, as long as the promotion is ethical.
Unfortunately nowadays, the 4Ps of marketing (Product, Packaging, People and Promotion) are ignored and the 5th P (Percentage) is ruling the roost! This is a sad development. One can only hope times will change!!
Everyone has heard of the three monkeys of Mahathma Gandhi. But have you heard of the three other monkeys, which see, hear and speak only good? And of the fourth monkey which tells everybody how good these monkeys are? Well, the fourth monkey is their public relationship officer!
No matter how good your practice is, you need to inform the public of the services you offer. In business parlance this is called Promotion, but in fact it is a type of Health Education. These days even Gods, Godmen and Temples find the need to be advertised. So, informing the public about the various facilities offered at your hospital is certainly not a sin.
Years ago, most of the promotion of a practicing doctor took place spontaneously by word of mouth..or WOMBAT (Word of Mouth: Best Advertising Technique). This still holds true for established practitioners. But the newcomers find the competition so stiff that they need to utilize modern promotion techniques of having Marketing Executives, inserting ads in the print and electronic media, hoardings etc.
It is well known that running a Private Hospital is considered as business by the Govt. Look at the abnormal commercial charges you have to pay for Electricity bills, Telephone bills and Municipal taxes. So certainly it is not illegal if you promote your hospital’s services by modern marketing techniques………..of course, as long as the promotion is ethical.
Unfortunately nowadays, the 4Ps of marketing (Product, Packaging, People and Promotion) are ignored and the 5th P (Percentage) is ruling the roost! This is a sad development. One can only hope times will change!!
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