Upholding ethical principles

Like every year, National Doctors’ Day was celebrated across the country on July 1. It is celebrated in honour of the birth and death anniversary of the great physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. This day actually serves to show appreciation and gratitude to all those who have tirelessly worked for the health of people.

Doctors have always played an essential role in society including the times when the world was grappling with COVID-19 pandemic. However, over the years, due to an overburdened healthcare system, coupled with increasing commercialisation of healthcare, mistrust and suspicion on medical services are becoming narratives surrounding healthcare.

A doctors’ body in Kashmir went on to say commercialization of the medical profession has created mistrust among patients about the health system and health care providers.

There are many instances when surgeries are done unnecessarily for “financial gains,” it said and went further by saying that even prescriptions are driven by pharma companies who provide doctors freebies for writing their products.

Failure to take into account patient concerns and expectations has created a “gap between doctors and patients and the gap is widening at an alarming speed,” it said and rightly underlined the need to bridge the gap by taking various measures including by being kind, compassionate and showing empathy towards the patients.

While doctor’s Day is also an opportunity to thank all the heroes in the medical fraternity for their selfless contributions, there is need for self-introspection by the professionals who have been likened to be next to God.

Medical professionals need to uphold ethical principles that govern the interaction between them and patients with a view to give primacy to patient care and the patient’s bodily integrity and autonomy. As has been rightly underlined during a speech in February this year by the incumbent Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the ultimate goal is to achieve fairness, promote dignity and ensure that people have similar capability to lead healthy lives and contribute to society.

One also hopes that the government ensures better protection along with availability of all that they need to ward off against future challenges.

There is also a need to encourage more young people to pursue this noble profession, as well as to strengthen healthcare education so that competent medical professionals come to the forefront and serve humanity.

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