Sushil Kumar Sharma
The National Doctor’s Day is celebrated on March 30th on account of expressing our gratitude and acknowledgment to the dedication and commitment of the doctors towards our society. This is the day when Dr Crawford W. Long first used ether anesthesia in surgery. In India the Doctor’s Day is celebrated on July 1st in order to honor the famous Physician of India, Dr B C Roy. The hospitals and clinics in different parts of the country pay tribute to their doctors and physicians on the Doctor’s day, thus recognizing them for their hard work, commitment and the effort they put in to develop a better and healthier society. However in recent days due to various factors the relationship curve between a doctor and a patient is declining because of so many misguidance regarding medical information from different media. Rather than looking at their success rate a single failure makes them fall as a victim of criticism where all their hard works are overlooked. Thus apart from the doctors realizing their responsibilities the people should also recognize it and realize that they are also normal human being who need appreciation for their work and the efforts they put for the betterment of the health of the people.
Doctor is second GOD on this earth is the old proverb in India. It stems from medical theory of Galen which has seeped into our profession, in our culture after two millennia of wide acceptance the view that nature causes disease and doctor fight nature to cure the disease . Doctor provides the cure only a step is left to Godhead . The other view , long last but deeply correct is that Hippocratic view of medicine. The idea here is that nature heals disease as well as causes it , and the role of the doctor is to help nature in the healing process. The doctor is not the central Hero but the hand maiden to nature . There is no room for doctors as God, and our purpose are more humble to cure to sometime to heal often ,to console always.
The relationship between Doctors and Patients is changing fast, driven by the forces underlying healthcare . The forces are wrong selection process, political Interference and lack of selfless services to the Humanity. Few percentage of Doctors spend more time with politicians and power corridors than patients. The government institute are suffering because of interference not only to improve the patient care but disturb whatever is happening. The agencies to raise voice against the system like the Juniors are directionless and the Seniors are more or less rituals for mournings and seeing their presence in the System.
Albert Schweitzer said,” There is no higher Religion than Human Service”. All Great leaders , Thinkers and Humanitarians have abandoned selfish lives for selfless lives and in doing so found all the happiness, abundance and satisfaction they desire. Mahatama Gandhi understood the service ethics better than most . In one memorable story from his life , he was travelling across India by train . As he left the car he had been riding in. one of his shoes fell to a place on the tracks well beyond his reach. Rather than worrying about getting it back. He did something that startled his traveling companions.;he removed his other shoe and threw it to where the first one rested.When asked why he did this, Gandhi smiled and replied , ” now the poor soul who finds the first one will have a pair that he can wear.”
Significance of the Day
This significant day has so many reasons behind its celebration. All doctors begin their professional lives with the noble ideals of serving humanity and healing those in need; however some practitioners lose sight of these ideas and become corrupt and unethical. Doctors Day is thus a time for doctors to reflect on their own careers, realize the responsibility they bear and redirect themselves onto an ethical path of healing those in need.
* Almost all the people at some point of time in life are dependant on efficiency, and the service rendered by them.
* There is an enormous and remarkable progress in the medical facilities which should be acknowledged.
* This is also a way of encouraging other doctors who have failed in their career due to lack of commitment.
(The author is Head Department of Cardiology GMC Jammu)
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