Docs Want Freedom From Fear

The passage of time has brought about a tremendous change in this relationship. The very fabric of its bonded existence hasweakened. Medical practice has today become more of a profession than a vocation or calling. Gone is the glamour.

We doctors are no different from others in society. Yet we are a soft target for extortionists. It’s a no-win situation for us, but we don’t require any more protection than the ordinary person, do we?

Still, we have to work for ourselves. We have to make arrangements for our old age, because we don’t get any pension.

Public pressure will definitely work against the extortionist, but that is a situation right out of Utopia. What is needed to set things right now is a lot of changes in the system.

Today, it seems, no one is answerable to anyone. Police treat everyone like a common criminal. Politicians have no time for real matters. They are more interested in stopping visiting cricket teams and Vandanas. Politicians themselves partake of extortions and have a role to play in violence. Gopal Shetty was there at the time of the Bhagwati episode. Did he stop the rioting? No, he onlyinstigated it. The bunch of policemen outside Dr Bhagwati’s nursing home did not prevent the attacking mob which entered. But we can’t blame them. They are badly paid and ill-equipped.

What we need is a strong judiciary. The judiciary should set a deadline for every case. Today, is the judiciary accountable to anyone? The police force, too, should be made autonomous and independent of political interference.Yet in today’s society, we have all but acquiesced to the loving field of extortion. Income Tax, Sales Tax, and Stamp Duty are all legalised forms of extortion. So, is the latest organised extortion spree by goondas any different from the ones we have had to live with? How does it differ from the local extortion that is common during religious festivals, melas and poojas? Just a few weeks back, a group of persons claiming to be from the Shiv Sena came to my clinic and asked for Rs 3,000 for a book distribution programme. I refused.

But the fact remains that we have become a very vulnerable lot. Anyonecan walk into our clinic as a patient. How are we to distinguish who is who? One threat of extortion received over the telephone, and all phone calls become frightening. For, all extortionists have today become extremely ruthless. They don’t mind killing someone even for a little amount. Many of the extortionists may not be attached to a professional gang, which makes things all the more scary.

So precarious is the present situation that we feel utterly unsafe. The more unsafe things are, the more our concentration is affected. Is there any charm left in the medical practice? Most of us just have to go through the chores daily. And once mistrust stands showing, both by doctors and patients, it has the potential of greatly affecting the doctor-patient relationship.

The collective action of the Kalyan doctors who closed shop shows that they have reached the height of despair.

If the government provides one policeman with one lathi as protection, it is stupid. The police commissioner says, “Don’t succumbto the threats, inform us.” How? By way of the extortion cell, which one can’t get through? And if we have an anonymous message, what do we say? The stark reality for good and upright doctors is survival. Bombay today has become the Al-Capone city of India. For all the brouhaha of the Home Minister and the Police Commissioner, the sad fact is the complete breakdown of law and order. A doctor’s life today has become one of great uncertainty, prone to assaults. Most doctors are terrified, and if this sorry state of affairs continues, it will only affect the common man.But I am an optimist. Things have reached the bottom of the abyss. They have to improve.

Dr Prabhakar N Rao is president, Association of Medical Consultants, Mumbai