Can You Trust Your Doctor?

[Echo_of_thunder 1]

Doctors* are avatars of God (the ones who have Degree + Experience). However, before you go to a Doc, please use your common sense and fix your lifestyle & diet.

That's just it though Opaque, So many doctors do not use common sense anymore. They want to use all these high priced tests and drugs for everything. Like my Doctor who I do trust by the way. Last year I had a very bad cold. just a cold mind you. but he put me on all these high priced meds with really big names. for what? 8 to 10 days of being stuffy and sneazing. Doctor's are only practicing they do not know everything.

[iGuest 3]

Hello friends. Am a post-graduate medical student and i couldnt help but reply to this anxiety-ridden thread. First things first, a doctor is a mortal human being, like an engineer, painter, driver, etc and is subject to all the social and personal pressures (more actually) as they are. Secondly, we take the Hippocratic oath whereby we swear to firstly do no harm and secondly do charity whenever we can.

--> Now, having said those things, let me also mention that i am fully aware that there are some doctors which prescribe more expensive drugs when cheaper alternatives are available out of bribes/incentives given by pharmaceutical companies. Yes, it is unethical on that doctor's part as he must keep in mind the patient's financial status and prescribe a cheaper brand maybe, but that doesnt mean that he is prescribing something wrong/harmful/unnecessary. There are also doctors who i know who give entire week/month's worth medical treatment free of cost to their non-affording patients. Unfortunately, they dont get telecasted or published about.

--> Secondly, the MCI (Medical Council of India) which is the central governing body of all doctors nationwide has taken action on the issue and made stricter rules for doctors regarding the acceptance of "conference trips/gifts"etc from pharma companies as bribes for pushing their brand over other identical formulations. But like all other problems of India are related to population, so is this. How many doctors will it chase and catch and how? It has to be a conscious and conscientious decision on the part of the doctor. The companies are here to make money, they are corporate giants, unmindful of patient's plight. Its the doctor's duty to consider these aspects.

--> Thirdly, as rightly said by one of you, you must take care of your lifestyle and diet , before, during and even after going to a doctor guys! There is no escaping that!! He cant set things right that you have taken years to destroy! He is next to God, not God!

--> Common sense is necessary for every action, so why skip it for the most important aspect of your life-your health. Use it to judge the doctor and his social standing. Most often you can just make out whether or not a doctor is corrupt. Dont be afread to ask questions. Its his/her duty to answer them and explain to you your condition and its your right to know what you are being prescribed and why. Reading up is good for one's own awareness more than for cross-checking the doctor's decision. It shall make you more confident about the doctor and his decision and strengthen your trust.

--> Go to a doctor who has been recommended to you by a friend or relative. You are less likely to go to an unethical one that way.

[vivek2012 0]

This is nothing new. The unholy nexus between the pharmaceutical companies and the so called Doctors have been going on ever since the advent of competition in the field of manufacturing of medicines. Earlier it was under wraps, but right now they don’t see any reasons to conceal it any more since they very clearly understand that the Indians have since long become shock proof to withstand the impact of such shocking news. And, in case if you feel that there will be some action from the powers that be or from the so-called ‘concerned citizens’ against such a devilish collaboration, you are mistaken. Nothing of that sort is going to happen. The pharmaceutical companies concerned are well equipped to'deal with them'. Most of the Doctors of India have chosen it as their profession not out of the love for humanity. In most of the cases you will find that they have been forced by their well wishers to opt this as their profession. They secure admission in colleges by virtue of paying hefty amounts as ‘donation’ to the colleges concerned. In addition, a major part of the seats are in the reserved category which are set aside to help students from the minority communities, scheduled castes and tribes, other backward communities etc. Though the merit of setting aside seats for such categories cannot be underrated, the facts remains that a majority of students becoming Doctors by making use of such reserved quota do not possess the required level of passion or quality to do justice to this sacred profession. The saddest part is that the a large number brilliant students possessing passion and quality to serve humanity as Doctors never get a chance to obtain a seat in the colleges mostly due to brute majority of the above mentioned categories. So, it is nothing but natural that most of Doctors would love to forget the Hippocratic Oath that they have taken immediately after taking it! It is these Doctors who view this profession as profit making one and get into collaborations with such pharmaceutical companies and disregard the well being of their patients which is supposed to be their bounden duty! As a result, presently in India the medical shops out number panshops and tea stalls! It is a big, big business. It adds every day crores of rupees to the coffers of the pharmaceutical barons. Therefore, in order to increase the sales, they will do anything within their powers such as the one presently under reference. It is a pity that this country, where Ayurveda was born, things have reached such a pathetic level.

Edited February 18, 2012 by vivek2012 (see edit history)