Rai Durgesh Nandan, a general physician at Mahua in Vaishali district, was recently manhandled by people soon after the death of a patient. On Wednesday, relatives of a patient created a ruckus at a city hospital in Langertoli.
The recent attacks on doctors by patients' attendants point to the disregard the people have for the profession.
Doctors' Day, July 1, commemorates the birth and death anniversary of former Bengal chief minister Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. On Wednesday, The Telegraph spoke to several physicians and residents to know what they think about the increasing clashes between medicos and attendants of patients.
Sakshi Kumari, 16, who is preparing for her medical entrance exam, believes that there has been a decline in respect for doctors and she said to some extent, doctors were also responsible for this.
"Recently, I visited All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, and there I saw patients being neglected by the doctors. That was the time when I decided to join the profession. I think the government should act tough against the doctors who are found neglecting their duties. Doctors can earn respect only if they are honest to their profession. If they are not, they would continue to face patients' wrath," said Sakshi.
Shobhnik Goswami, a chartered accountant, however, feels otherwise: "Doctors definitely deserve huge respect. It's not the doctor's fault always as claimed by patients. There are the black sheep in this profession but the entire lot is not rotten."
Nilima Shah, 20, who is preparing for her bank probationary officer exam, also echoed Goswami. "Doctors try to do their best. They ensure best treatment to the patients but they cannot give guarantees that every patient would be saved. Had it been so, they would have become God."
Doctors also admit that there had been a decline in respect for them but they blame moral degradation of people for it.
"Today, doctors have become soft target of everything. In most of the cases where patients' attendants have attacked doctors or damaged a hospital property, it's only because they want to avoid paying the inflated bill of the hospital. For example, my hospital charges Rs 2.5 lakh for total valve replacement surgery. I am not going to get the whole money. The cost of disposables and valve only stands around Rs 2 lakh. Apart from this, there is surgery cost. So, we don't inflate the hospital bills intentionally. Also, all doctors try their best to save their patients. It may happen sometimes that we fail but we should not be blamed for this," said Ajit Pradhan, the chief cardiac surgeon of Jeevak Heart Hospital.
Sanjeevani Eye Hospital director Sunil Kumar Singh said: "The mutual faith between doctors and patients have decreased these days because of commercialisation of treatment and media reports which highlight doctors' negligence in various cases. Doctors, in general, give their best to the patients."
