Editorials- Doctors on duty

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Doctors on duty (Sept 24)

To many a hospital is there not only as an institution to treat the sick and
ailing but also to care. To many of the patients struck by some corporeal
disease the hospital is the last resting place and it is the place that allows a man to pass away as a human being and not like some unwanted elements abandoned to his fate. There is something somber and sacrosanct about the institution which is set up in the first place to give the healing touch to the sick and the ailing and it is only expected that the place be treated with respect and people honor the air of sanctity within the hospital.

However such noble concepts are blown to smithereens when the party of a patient let loose their anger and frustration on the doctors and the nurses on duty. The ugly scene that unfolded at RIMS casualty ward after one poison victim died in the night of September 21 and the subsequent locking up of the ward by the House Officers and the Interns Association, RIMS were unfortunate.

It is a different story that the casualty ward was re-opened after the intervention of the RIMS authority. However much the behavior of the patient's party was unfortunate, the medical fraternity of the state would do wise to put on their thinking cap and delve deep into their souls and search their conscience.

The September 21 evening incident was not the first of its kind and there are stories galore over alleged negligence by doctors on duty. No one is questioning the efficiency and medical expertise of the state medical fraternity but the oft repeated voice of anger and discontent always centers around the attitude of the doctors and a little soul searching on this point will go a long way in bettering the bond between the patients and the doctors on duty.

The relationship between a patient and a doctor need not be elaborated here but suffice it to say there is something sacred about it. The most personal details are divulged to the doctors by the patient and this amplifies the trust reposed in the doctor. In a nutshell the medical profession deals not with inanimate objects but with a sensitive, complex, living being - human beings. A genuine smile, a reassuring pat on the back can work wonders in lifting the spirit of the terminally ill and gladden the hearts of the patient's party.

All these are, however, not attempts to shift the responsibility squarely on the doctors. Relationship involves a two-way traffic and patients and the patients' party need to realize the trying circumstances in which doctors have to conduct their duty. Adhering by the norms and regulations laid down by the hospital concerned will surely help the doctors in discharging their duties more efficiently.

Equally important for all concerned is to realize that in as much as a hospital is there to care and treat the terminally sick and ailing, it is the responsibility of the people to reciprocate and show-we-care-for the institution. All in all everyone concerned, the doctors, the patients and the patients' party need to realize that the hospital be treated with the respect it deserves. For the doctors too the driving force should be the credo-treat the patient not the disease-to para phrase a sentiment echoed by the protagonist in a Hollywood movie.

(Courstesy: The Sangai Express)

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