Maharashtra Resident Doctors' Strike: Doctors speak about the ongoing strike

Real doctors speak up against the recent spate of brutal attacks against medical professionals and their opinion about the Resident Doctors' Strike.

Things have been turning increasingly grimmer for doctors in India. Barely a fortnight after the brutal attack on the doctor in Dhule, another doctor was attacked by irate relatives of a deceased patient at Sion Hospital over negligence allegations. Quite justifiably, the doctors of the city have gone on a mass strike to bring the spotlight on such brutalities committed against medicos in the country. If one were to go by the reports, at least 50 cases of attacks against doctors have been registered every year in the country. With just two days into the strike, the government is already browbeating the doctors to give up the strike or face six months worth of salary deduction.

It is common knowledge that the quality of medical services that doctors, both in the private and public healthcare, provide in our country is among the best in the world. Despite the resource crunch, every doctor works tirelessly and under a lot of stress to provide quality services to 1,700 people. Those questioning the lack of empathy and sincerity in the medical fraternity should consider reading about Dr Suresh Waje who contracted multidrug-resistant TB while treating a patient and died soon after.

Sure there may have been cases of medical negligence. But is it fair on our part to paint all the doctors with the same brush? Somewhere in our attempts to deify and worship our doctors, we have robbed from them their right to be human and fallible.

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So on this poignant occasion, we asked some of our doctors about their take on the strike and how the future looks for a practising medic in this country in the wake of the violent attacks against doctors.

Dr Ramen Goel, Senior Bariatric Surgeon and Director, Center of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, Wockhardt Hospitals

Much of the discussion around workplace violence is about reported incidents. Let us first understand that thanks to doctors and nurses sense of empathy, many incidents go unreported. Additionally, India s poor doctor: patient ratio implies that many doctors work non-stop for more than 24 hours. Doctors in public hospitals treat infectious diseases like TB regularly and fall prey to these diseases themselves, very often. This is an occupational hazard. Every doctor has a choice, to see 200 patients a day in India, or 30 patients a day abroad and earn much more. With a meagre stipend and poor living conditions, these resident doctors often risk their sleep and their lives to perform their duty. They cannot be targets for pent up emotions and violence. Lawmakers must consider workplace violence for healthcare professionals as a special class of offence. I appeal to authorities to take decisive and positive action to comfort concerned caregivers and their family members.

Dr Mitali Agrawal, Pulmonologist, SRV Hospital, Goregaon

Attacking doctors is wrong. A non-medical person should be made to work with the medical professions for a week to ten days and see for themselves under what stressful conditions doctors work. Then let them decide for themselves if the doctors deserve the treatment that is meted to them. Even after working under such situations, in return what they get is verbal and physical abuse plus no security from the government."

"Such cases are seen more in government hospitals where tasks like transportation of the patient, taking blood samples, etc. are done by the relatives. If the relatives of the chronically ill patient are doing all this, and if the patient s condition gets worse, that adds on to their irritation. Already they are frustrated, and it gets converted into anger, and they take it out to the doctor."

"Sometimes the services are not available in the hospital, and the doctors are directly held responsible for them. Resident doctors also work sometimes for 36-72 hours at a stretch. You can t expect them to be polite all the time. Sometimes even doctors lose temper, and there is a communication breakdown. Overworked doctors are also missing meals and working continuously without rest. In such situations, they are bound to make mistakes. They are human beings after all.

Dr Rushi Deshpande, Consultant in Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, Jaslok Hospital

Sadly, doctors have become soft targets, and they are held responsible for a system they don t own. People have to understand that a doctor is a very small pawn in a corporate hospital set up. If somebody is responsible, it is the hospital administration, the ones who own the hospital. Just because the doctor becomes the representative face of the institution and because they are there at that time, attacking them and taking your frustration out on them in not the right thing to do. I think it speaks volumes about the law and order situation of our society. People are not scared of doing such violent acts because they are capable of getting away with it. This is a system error, and therefore, protection of doctors should be mandatory. Arrest the culprits, bring them to justice and make an example of them. Otherwise, these thugs won t be afraid of the law. They think they will get away with anything. So, the bigger picture is getting very scary.

Dr Maya K Lulla, Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital, Vile Parle West

First and foremost, proper infrastructure has to be in place in government hospitals so that the patients needs could be met. Given the limited number of doctors in the country, handling so many patients at a time becomes difficult for the doctors. Patients have to wait endlessly to get some attention from the doctor which makes them irritable, and that s how the violence erupts.

Therefore, the doctor-patient relationship also has to be worked upon. Care should be taken that neither of them flies off the handle.

Dr Amitabh Ghosh, Consultant Psychiatrist, Vitatsu Healthcare

Only medical knowledge and good medical facilities are not enough to treat and save lives. It has been seen what is more important is creative and mindful thinking by the doctors while examining their patients. What I mean is during critical moments a doctor needs to be more attentive and think about different possible ways and even create new ones to save your loved ones. It has been scientifically proved that fear and anxiety prevents all men from acting in a logical and effective way. And, doctors are human beings too!

So when patients are critical what is the role of the attendants? To support the doctors, nurses and other medical personnel emotionally or make him/her more anxious with threats, abuses and assaults? In such moments who is more important to the doctor? The attendants or the patient! What is more important for the doctor to do? To think about all the possible ways to save the patient or device answers to comfort the attendants and save their skin! It s just natural in such situations a doctor is psychologically not in a position to answer all the questions bombarded by the attendants to keep them calm.

Yes, I agree doctors do commit a mistake, after all, they are not God! This is to let you know that majority of the mistakes can be corrected if the doctor remains calm and mindful instead of being in fear and anxiety. Repeated news about doctors being beaten will make the doctors more anxious, and this mental state will stand in their way while serving your loved and dear ones. Threats and assaults on medical professionals influence their job satisfaction, job performance and quality of patients care.

Dr Pradip Shah, General Physician, Fortis Hospital

If the violence against doctors continues unchecked, then they will be afraid to take care of patients in critical stages. Survival of the patient is not entirely in the hands of the doctor; it is not some goods that we are delivering. There may be some patients who come in the last stage or in a very critical condition. The chances of them succumbing are high. Despite which the doctors try their level best to save the person s life. At the prospect of someone harming them, doctors may not be able to perform their best. Verbal altercations and heated exchanges are understood; it is natural for someone to be emotionally charged if someone close to them has died. But the brutal beating of doctors is not justified. In Australia, if someone assaults medical professionals like doctors and nurses, they could be sentenced up to 10 years if found guilty. This is the first time doctors are revolting. Why else would they suspend their lucrative practices? Obviously, this is because it is a serious issue that has to be dealt with.

Spokesperson, Fortis Hospital, Delhi

Our doctors continuously strive to save and enrich lives. We strongly condemn the act of violence against doctors & any other hospital staff. Safe and secure work environment is the basic requirement for caregivers to provide best possible medical care to patients. We at Fortis Healthcare are firmly committed to our patients, and our medical services remain unhampered as our doctors continue to serve the community, as always.