On doctors

While everyone points a finger at the doctors, no one wants to know why the medical profession has turned out to be as it is today. It starts with getting admission in a medical college. There are thousands of aspirants for one seat. But it is the one who can afford it, not the one who deserves it, who gets it. Getting a seat in a post-graduate course through an entrance examination is not just difficult; it is impossible. People who can afford to buy the seats set up their practice after they pass out. They try to recover all their money from their patients. It is the medical education system that produces substandard doctors who have driven people to thinking that it is better to die rather than pay for treatment.

K. Apuroopa,

Hyderabad

We cannot expect doctors to be insulated from the defining materialistic ethos of our times. Ethics is not merely about money. Ethical behaviour also encompasses attitudes and behaviour. A kind word, a patient ear, a little empathy and a relationship based on mutual trust and respect — how many doctors fulfil these minimum expectations of people?

T.K.S. Thathachari,

Secunderabad

I have been suffering from an unknown ailment for four years. I have seen many physicians and even a specialist in Dehra Dun, Delhi and Ahmedabad. But the problem persists. Some say it's IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), some others say it is pelvic floor dysfunction, some say it's my eating habit, and some say it's in my head. I have been prescribed drugs worth at least Rs 20,000 over the years. I have refrained from eating milk products, fruits, raw vegetables, anything sweet. I eat only home cooked food, with no spices and oils. Alcohol and cigarettes are a strict no-no.

Doctors say nothing is wrong with me. They repeat the same procedures and say “Nothing is wrong with you, take these medicines!” When I ask whether I should be checked for colon cancer, they almost shout ‘who is the doctor here?'

S. Manu,

Dehra Dun