FW: Fwd: [Quality_of_Medical_Education] Letter to Aamir Khan : Satyamev Jayate 27 march 2012

[Guest guest]

We must protest ,but at the same time correct the problem ourselves.

Arvind Garg

1974 

**

Letter written by one of my junior :

Dear Mr. Amir Khan,

" NOT ALL DOCTORS ARE GREEDY "

" THERE IS NO PROFESSION THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAN "

" DOCTORS ARE OBLIGED TO SERVE BY CHOICE, NOT BY COMPULSION "

Sir,

I have been a big fan or your work, life and principles. I am also a fan of

`Satyamev Jayate'. But I was shocked to see the episode on 27th May,2012.

You are an Icon. You should have thought well and done the

homework before doing such a biased show. There are only two people in

the film industry that are being taken seriously by the thinking class of

society, You and Amitabh Bacchhan. So, when you give such a biased and one

sided version of a story, it hurts. Speaking about such a thing on a

" commercial " TV show is bad. (I am sure you have taken a big amount, only

doctor are supposed to do charity and social work, not actors!!! Right!)

I want to highlight few important points here. And yes I am qualified to

make observations as I am a medical student.

1. Your guests and audience (the words were almost put in their mouth)

said that private colleges charge a capitation fee of 40 – 50 Lacs for

MBBS,you should have also produced some evidence of such practice. Like you

call a victim in all your episodes, why not here? And do the same story

Engineering, Architecture, Law and MBA colleges, do you think they are

clean? Why target doctors alone?

2. You said Since 2001, government opened 31 medical colleges and 106

private institutes were opened. – Please note that today in India, there

are a total of 181 Private and 152 Govt Medical colleges. So the number is

not as bad s you projected. Don't project only the time period which suits

your story. Either give a complete picture or do not give a picture at all!

And also, please find out how many of these private colleges are owned by

politicians? 95% of Private colleges in India are owned and run by

politicians. It is a bloody nexus between politicians and MCI. The

corruption by politicians is to blamed for the mess, not doctors!!!

3. One of your guest (Dr. Gulhati) said that doctors ask for 30%

commission from Pharma companies to write their drugs. That is

baseless,over-the-roof and sensationalizing the matter. That is as true as

" Most Leading actors ask newcomers to sleep with them " or " Lawyers take

money from both the sides in a legal battle " or " Most chartered accountants

teach their clients how to save tax and also pass info to taxman on where

his client saved tax " .

I know all of you will shout " Where is the proof? " . So are doctors!!!

I am not trying to sensationalize things as you did on your show by

shading those fake tears, but just trying to project that allegations are

easy to make. I know you will say that this was the opinion of our guest,

and not yours. But you provided a platform for these fake allegations.

4. You compared the numbers of Licenses cancelled in England and in

India. I must say your team is quite resourceful and please collect and

compare following details also –

a.Number of doctors beaten on duty by goons from various political outfits

in government hospitals in UK and India in last 10 years, and also the

number of people convicted for such crime.

b.The Stipend (Salary a post-graduate trainee doctor/intern gets) or Salary

and accommodation facilities provided to the doctors of the two countries.

c.The duty hours and working conditions of the doctors of the two

countries.

d.The academic and research infrastructure being provided to the medical

students.

5. You said that the most brilliant students who take up medicine, should

take it only for service to mankind, they should go to other fields if they

want to earn. Why? Are we living in imperialism? Are doctors not allowed to

earn and spend a good life? You were asking Dr. Devi Shetty whether he can

do humanitarian work and Earn at same time? This is like asking Amirkhan or

Shahrukh-khan their income and generalizing it for every actor in the

industry (Even junior artists). Sir, just as there are only few Khans and

Kapoors, There are even fewer Devi Shetty and Naresh Trehan who run their

chain of Multi-specialty hospitals spread all over the country. See what it

takes to become a doctor and then give such " Geeta-Gyan " .

a. 5 and half year of MBBS training and 1 more year of Compulsory Rural

Internship at Rs. 15000 - 20000 per month. (Any other field eg.

Engineering, Management, a person would become Postgraduate in this

much time and start earning double the amount.)

If one doesn't study further, the pay at this step is 22,000 per month.

b. After above 6 and half years of Graduation, 3 more years of

Postgraduation, followed again by compulsory rural / Government job for 1

year or pay Rs. 25Lac bond.

If one doesn't study further, the pay at this step is 40,000 per month.

c. After this above 10 and half years, 3 more years of

Superspeciality,followed by 1 year of Govt job or a Bond of Rs. 2 Crore.

And the seats are so few with tough competition, there tends to be a gap of

a year or two in preparing for various entrance exams.

6. Why only Doctors are being forced to work in rural and government

hospitals after their study? Why only we should pay government if we

don't want to do it?

The rural/Govt sector needs help of Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered

Accountants and MBAs also.

Why aren't the Engineers sent to rural areas to design and monitor roads

and industrials development?

Why aren't the Lawyers forced to work as Public prosecutors before they can

join some big foreign corporate firm?

Why aren't the CAs asked to work in CAG office and various other

government financial sectors before joining Multinational Giants?

Now government wants that doctors should not immigrate to other

countries without asking them. Why? Are the IIT/IIM students stopped

before they flee to foreign countries for big fat salaries? So, why us?

What is it that government of society has done for doctors that they should

repay? They bloody can't even protect them from goons while on duty.

7. You say that doctors are writing unnecessary and costly medications. Do

we decide the price of a drug? Do we manufacture or give license to drug

manufacturers? Controlling the price of essential drugs is a government

job. We are helpless.

Sir, its easy to point fingers. We don't say that all is well. But all is

not well anywhere. Its a different thing creating awareness about dowry or

female feticide. But its entirely different to comment on such a technical

and complicated issue without getting into the details of it.

You have maligned the entire medical fraternity. For every 10 doctors who

are doing wrong, there are more than 1000 healers. You owe us an

apology!!! This issue is not as simple as you think it is! Please show

stories which are unbiased and straight-forward. You cannot do justice to

such an issue, especially after charging a whooping amount for creating

awareness!!!

(We hear that Amir has charged 3 crores for episode of satyamevjayate in

which he spreads the message to doctors that they should not make

money and do social service!!! How sacred!!! I don't know if its true, but

well, it's the season of allegations!)

" We may be doing little e service, But at least we are not

charging for it! "

- Doctor

--

*

‘Saying prevention is better than cure

Nothing more apt to keep heart assure ‘

S Dwivedi

MD, PhD ( Cardiology), FRCP (London)

FAMS,  FIACS ( Canada)

*

*PG Dip HPA (Leeds)

* *Dean/ Principal*

*Professor and Head

Department of Medicine/Preventive Cardiology,

Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research,*

*Associated Hakeem Abdul Hameed Centenary Hospital,*

*Jamia Hamdard ( Hamdard University)*

*New Delhi-110062 *

**