LESSONS FROM ATTACK ON TWO DOCTORS IN HOSPITALS ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN CHENNAI

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India is yet to recover from the severe shock that it received when a young lady doctor was brutally raped and murdered by a drunkard in midnight in a hospital in ?Kolkata when she was on duty.

Even as police enquiry has taken place and doctors?? all over India protested? about this unfortunate incident, the news about the attacks on two doctors in two separate hospitals on ?consecutive days ?in Chennai have made everyone wonder at what has gone wrong and whether there is any fundamental?? cause that result in such incidents.

While? the motive for the attack on the young lady doctor in Kolkata and two doctors in Chennai ??are different,? there are? fundamental common factor that cannot be ignored.

Such common ?factor is that there appear to be lack of fear of law in the mind set of criminals and attackers, ?who have aggressive instincts. Obviously, the government is largely responsible for such situation and perhaps, the situation can be justifiably termed as sort of crisis in law and order scenario. This also means that? there is violent streak in the behaviour pattern ??amongst some people, that? is ?sweeping the society, ?which remain largely ?unchecked . This may be due to the fact ??that ??some of the ministers, top officials in the government and political party leaders?? have failed to? exhibit ?lofty standards in their behaviour and utterances ?and do not contribute to ?healthy tone in societal thinking. Of course, the media also is partly responsible for such conditions which often? focus on negative happenings rather than positive developments in the society.

While the above are general conditions , the particular question arises as to why? have ?the doctors been attacked in hospitals, which do not seem to be ?anymore a rare occurrence.

It is reported that attack on one oncology doctor in Chennai hospital ?happened? , as the son of the cancer patient mother was ?reported to be not satisfied? with? the? standard of treatment extended to his mother by the doctor? and? ?he was distressed by what he felt?? to be ?the indifferent attitude of the doctor.

While the? attacker was wrong and should be severely punished ,? the doctors community should also retrospect? a little.? The fact is that the patients? and those ?particularly suffering from severe and terminal illness? always feel stressed? and sometimes could be agitated also with the mistaken view that the treatment extended is inadequate. While most of the doctors are over worked and are also stressed, the fact is that the type of stress suffered by the patients is much more severe than the stress felt by the doctors.

Guidelines for doctors issued by the Medical Council have recognised this fact and have counselled the doctors to be patient with the patients and answer their questions? to calm them down? and extend? friendly and sympathetic attitude. But, it is known that not all the doctors? exhibit ?such behaviour and sometimes , show impatience while dealing with the patients.

A patient narrated a? recent ?incident that while he was in a super speciality hospital suffering from hemmorhage condition and the doctor wanted to administer pethidine injection , he raised question ??to the doctor ?and expressed ?his desire not to have pethidine injection, as he has suspicion ?about the? possible side effects of pethidine. ??Then, ?the ?doctor got irritated and told the patient ??“ I am not a blue collar fool” and walked away. This is precisely the type of behaviour that any doctor should not adopt.

In the case of? ?another?? attack? in Chennai hospital, the patient involved was said to be mentally ill and he attacked the doctor while he was attending to him. Obviously, the mental patient was with the doctor without any escort.? While it is the ?question as to what is the level of mental imbalance the patient had ?and why was he not accompanied by an escort? , the doctor should have taken care?? while ?dealing with such stressed mental ?patient.

The doctors? in Chennai have gone on a day strike protesting? against the attacks on the doctors and they have demanded that greater security measures should be introduced in the hospitals and the safety of the doctors should be ensured by the government. This demand of the doctors are appropriate.

At the same time,? the doctors should keep in view that while? the profession of doctors is ??stressed one? and ?they have to deal with the stressed patients all the time , they have to ?maintain an appropriate? mind set in dealing? with the issues.? Just as the policeman cannot complain that he has to deal with criminals all the time,? the doctors too cannot complain about the?? behaviour of the stressed patients? and has to deal? with them? with adequate? understanding not only about their physical state but also about their mental state .?

N.S.Venkataraman

Trustee

Nandini Voice For The Deprived

Email:- [email protected]