Violence against doctors is nothing new in this county. It has always been a matter of concern among the residents’ fraternity. In fact, on my first day in the OPD, I was informed that arguments with patients is a learning experience, a kind of rite of passage.
There was an Indian study a few years back, which suggests that nearly 75% of medical personnel have faced some kind of workplace violence. This study concluded that 50% violent incidents took place in the Intensive Care Unit of hospitals, and in 70% of cases, the relatives of the patients were actively involved
As a doctor, I feel this violence comes from a place of deep mistrust and should be looked into. Most of my colleagues I discussed this with, seemed to be of the opinion that this has to do with the general increase of aggression among the public, as evidenced by increasing incidents of road rage and other acts of violence witnessed in schools and colleges across the country. At the end of the day, a state-run hospital is a medical college, and a medical resident is a 22-year-old barely legal adult. But the kind of violence I see and hear about everyday, cannot just be the outcome of a general increase in stress and anxiety—that’s a lousy explanation for a missing fragment of the skull of an intern beaten up at NRS.
In India, myths and false accusations on the doctor are very commonplace and are made even in cases of death due to a previous illness. In multiple cases even declaring a patient dead on arrival might be a risk for the presiding doctor—because of the mob mentality of the crowd that follows any such announcement. It becomes impossible to present or understand a rational view in the emotional event of a loved one passing away, but the unrealistic expectations from another human being who has most certainly tried his best is wrong at every level. Here I would like to point out that we’re not demigods, we’re not magicians wielding wands in the name of medical technology, we are human beings who are trying their very best and most of us come from a place of deep compassion for the fellow human.
There is such dichotomy in being a doctor today that you are simultaneously placed on a pedestal with the weight of expectations of glorious miracles on your shoulders, and at the same time, you’re subject to the worst kind of lack of faith in your abilities. This distrust is so generalized in the whole community of physicians—that diagnosis is being altered by Wikipedia references on the related disease and equating someone who has dedicated his entire life to studying the cure of a disease with someone who read a quick WebMD article about it.
There is dilution in the field, there is no denying that, but the deterioration in the doctor-patient relationship today is a result of social degradation, increasing intolerance, and increasing distrust. As doctors we tend to reside in niches, among our fraternity and our cafes and our libraries, immune and ignorant of the socio-economic problems plaguing this market-oriented society. Most times patients are not considered equal partners by their presiding doctors. This at times might lead to arrogant behaviour, condescending attitude and use of jargon by doctors, which confuses the patient.
In my entire curriculum a lot of emphasis was laid on clinical behaviour, but none on empathy. But today, I feel the system and the judiciary have both failed us, we have nowhere to go for the redressal of our grievances. We are expected to work with devotion and dedication, but are expected to do so at a sweltering 46° at a ratio of 100 patients to 1 doctor, with poor hygiene and sanitation in an environment which doesn’t guarantee our safety in case someone loses their cool.
Yesterday, Mamta didi mentioned that policemen might die on duty, but they still show up everyday to face the risk, I accept her analogy and urge her to equate assault on a doctor with assault on a public servants on duty. Necessary changes should be made urgently in the IPC to have a deterrent effect and prevent future incidents of violence against doctors.
The NEET-UG results have just been declared, and our failure to acknowledge the altruism of the doctors will be the reason to discourage the next generation of brilliant students from taking up this unforgiving profession.