Doctors turn money churners, says Dr Shukla

“When the aim of doctors is to earn money, ethical and rational medical practices are pushed to the background. Ethical doctors are now becoming endangered species who might hit extinction in another decade,” opined national convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Dr Abhay Shukla.

Addressing the gathering of doctors and learned at Makineni Basavapunnaiah Vignana Kendram (MBVK) here on Wednesday, Dr Shukla spoke on ‘Ethical and Rational Medical Practice’. He said, unfortunately today’s so called corporate style hospitals are making money and have gone out of their main stream profession. Pharma companies are deciding the drugs which are to be prescribed by doctors to patients.

This is a very bad practice that is commercializing the profession, he grieved. If health care is an industry, patients are raw materials and doctors are set targets to be fulfilled. It is a common practice among cardiology where patients are pushed to undergo an angioplasty.

There is a definite need to change the working culture among doctors who almost forgot to experience the satisfaction of giving a new lease of life to patients. It is no longer considered an honorable profession by themselves who are giving away to the money. Doctors should start incorporating values in treating patients that derive basic revenue, added Dr Shukla.

He mentioned about the experiences of famous practicing specialists across the country in his book 'Dissenting Diagnosis' during the session. Praja Arogya Vedika State president Sudhakara Rao opined that corporate hospitals have become machines that squeeze people of their money in return of treatments that at most of times are out of necessity.

Public health care sector if strengthened would curb the corporate businesses of hospitals that brutally rob patients of money, said he. A few doctors have spoke about their experiences and shared their views to curb such unethical practices in the profession.