The Hippocratic Oath

Healthcare or Wealth Care? The Dilemma of Modern Medicine

The Hippocratic Oath is an?oath?of?ethics?historically taken by?physicians. It is one of the most widely known of Greek medical texts. In its original form, it requires a new physician to swear, by a number of?healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards.

In the sacred halls of healthcare, where doctors once took solemn vows to uphold the principles of the Hippocratic Oath, a disturbing trend has emerged. Today, the integrity of this oath seems to have been diluted, and the noble profession of medicine is increasingly overshadowed by corporate interests.

Gone are the days when doctors were solely focused on the well-being of their patients. In pursuing profit and prestige, many have strayed from their ethical obligations, prioritizing financial gain over the Hippocratic principles of beneficence and non-maleficence.

Amidst this environment, I have my old-school family doctor who has been practising for the last 40 years. His method of diagnosing and prescribing medicines is not based entirely on the reports. His way of treating a patient comes from, firstly understanding the patient's overall history, lifestyle, physical and mental conditions including psychological behaviours.?

His knowledge about the subject is so deep that I don't think there is anyone equivalent or even close to that in today's generation of doctors, simply because it comes with his love for his profession and the commitment that he has to his job and beyond the goal to ensure every patient's well-being.

I have been visiting him for more than two decades, I have never seen him once coming late, or missing his appointments due to personal reasons. Even during the Pandemic when all the doctors opted for WFH and online consultations, he would still be available to treat patients despite being paid 1/10th of the compensation during the two years.

However, he was reluctant to adapt to the technological changes and was never available on the phone for consultations. Gradually he adopted and now is available for phone consultations too for his patients. This transformation of adopting the best of both worlds was extremely valuable for his patients.?

That is not all, the icing on the cake is that, he has never viewed his profession to make money but solely on the well-being of his patients. His consultation fees the minimal considering what all others charge in the Healthcare industry. He will always say, "My driver is richer than I am." He has stayed true to the Hippocratic principles of beneficence and non-maleficence.

To top it all, in recent times when my preceptor took ill with some micro bacterium which couldn't be found even after head-to-toe MRIs, CT scans and hundreds of blood tests, it was he who could diagnose and start the medications at the right time and treat him well! If not for him I doubt my preceptor being alive to this day. During these tough times, he would even call me even on Sundays to check on the patient's well-being.

He won all hearts and my heartfelt gratitude and prayers for his well-being since such a doctor has become a rarity in today's world. One need only scratch the surface to uncover countless examples of this betrayal of trust. From over-prescribing medications to unnecessary surgeries, patients are often subjected to treatments that serve the interests of pharmaceutical companies and hospitals rather than their own health.

In this environment, physicians are pressured to see more patients in less time, leaving little room for meaningful interactions or thorough examinations. The doctor-patient relationship, once revered as sacred, is reduced to a transactional encounter, devoid of empathy and understanding.

Hospitals, once bastions of healing and compassion, are now run like profit-driven corporations. Bottom lines and balance sheets take precedence over patient care, leading to a culture where dollars matter more than diagnoses.