Long ago i passed the PLAB exam part 1 to goto UK . Sametime i got Radiology PG in india and decided to finish my postgraduation . One day i casually met one of my superseniors . When i told him i got PLAB he laughed and told me " Why anyone wants to go and be a housesurgeon there when you can make millions here " . I knew that doctors in india were underpaid in junior ranks though they did great service to the soceity . But this guy was confidently telling he could make millions . I thought he was really stupid and joking . I met him again in the span of ten years two more times and day before yesterday met another classmate of him ( a non-doctor ) who told about this Doctor Xs whereabouts and what made him tick .
Apparently this Doctor X was the best student right from his school days . Extremely good at his diagnosis he was equally good at ordering slew of investigations from blood test to CT scans for every case . And he openly admitted that he used to get commision from the labs and other establishments . . Even some leading politicians were impressed by him because he told them I will give you the best diagnosis but i do take commisions from labs . Because of the dictum you cannot fool all of the people all of the time i was expecting after these many years he would have landed behind bars . But i was shocked to hear that he was abroad earning around 1 million rupees per month .
As far as i am concerned being not a lover of quick money i dont find his life story inspiring . But i am amazed at his confidence and focus when he told that he would make millions before he was 45 . And a little thought is crossing my mind " If many of the politicians in this country who are relatively uneducated can be extremely corrupt and loot the people and the people turn a relative blind eye to them , why dont the people take the initiative to pay these highly educated doctors in government service with the salaries they deserve . " Maybe that will prevent many from following the path of Doctor X in government service . Doctor X though seemingly unprincipled and unethical did follow one principle " When in Rome do as the Romans do ". He saw the uneducated or relatively lesser educated people doing less work and making lot of money by unethical means and he must have thought if they can do it why cant he do the money making even better ? And these same people must have told him to do selfless service for the least salary when they were looting the public money by corrupt means . Will there be more Doctor Xs ?
I have met innumerable people who have told that doctors should give free service , doctors consultation fee are exhorbitant etc . Its an ignorant remark if you actually think of it inspite of appearing highly humanitarian. In these days even if the doctor makes his consultation fee (which is his means of his livelihood after long years of studies ) free there is no use as cost of medication is many times his consultation fee . Is the same free service be asked from medical stores ? Or can you get the most essential thing : free food when you are hungry ? As long as we dont get these free and we are living in a consumerist soceity let us pay the people according to the service they do to the soceity .
Apparently this Doctor X was the best student right from his school days . Extremely good at his diagnosis he was equally good at ordering slew of investigations from blood test to CT scans for every case . And he openly admitted that he used to get commision from the labs and other establishments . . Even some leading politicians were impressed by him because he told them I will give you the best diagnosis but i do take commisions from labs . Because of the dictum you cannot fool all of the people all of the time i was expecting after these many years he would have landed behind bars . But i was shocked to hear that he was abroad earning around 1 million rupees per month .
As far as i am concerned being not a lover of quick money i dont find his life story inspiring . But i am amazed at his confidence and focus when he told that he would make millions before he was 45 . And a little thought is crossing my mind " If many of the politicians in this country who are relatively uneducated can be extremely corrupt and loot the people and the people turn a relative blind eye to them , why dont the people take the initiative to pay these highly educated doctors in government service with the salaries they deserve . " Maybe that will prevent many from following the path of Doctor X in government service . Doctor X though seemingly unprincipled and unethical did follow one principle " When in Rome do as the Romans do ". He saw the uneducated or relatively lesser educated people doing less work and making lot of money by unethical means and he must have thought if they can do it why cant he do the money making even better ? And these same people must have told him to do selfless service for the least salary when they were looting the public money by corrupt means . Will there be more Doctor Xs ?
I have met innumerable people who have told that doctors should give free service , doctors consultation fee are exhorbitant etc . Its an ignorant remark if you actually think of it inspite of appearing highly humanitarian. In these days even if the doctor makes his consultation fee (which is his means of his livelihood after long years of studies ) free there is no use as cost of medication is many times his consultation fee . Is the same free service be asked from medical stores ? Or can you get the most essential thing : free food when you are hungry ? As long as we dont get these free and we are living in a consumerist soceity let us pay the people according to the service they do to the soceity .
So true!No wonder doctors leave kerala.
ReplyDeletehey,inspired by you,I am making a list of things to do in this life :-)
Make visiting africa one of them as discussed .. btw im still in kerala ..
ReplyDeleteDoc, a very thought provoking write-up... I don't have an opinion about Doc X's working principles. But, it did remind me of a funny experience I'd a couple of years ago, I needed a fresh Disability Certificate urgently for filing tax returns. My dad went to the Gov Hospital & met the Civil Surgeon with the requisite documents, the doc refused to sign anything without having a look at me. So, my dad carried me to his house after duty hours. He gave the Certificate without much fuss & while pocketing the money that dad offered him asked me 'you must be very angry with me because I made your father bring you here?' and without waiting for reply said 'see, it'd have been unethical if I'd signed the certificate without having a look at you'. It almost made me laugh and made me ask what about the money you took? But, better sense prevailed so, I just smiled & thanked him. :P
ReplyDeleteWe need strong laws to curb corruption be it a politician , doctor or engineer . And if it was Doctor X would have been in an indian jail by this time ...Will such a time come ?
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for sharing your experience ..
ReplyDelete