01/07/2018
Dear patients, today on this World Doctor’s Day I would like to share with you something very important. We doctors are there to help you remain as healthy as possible and we try to do our best in doing this job for you. In the last decade the Doctor-Patient relationship has suffered a lot due to several causes. There are black sheeps in all professions including medicine. Depending on city & region their percentage may vary widely. Say if in your region it’s 5 percent, what about the remaining 95 percent doctors? Even if say it’s 25% somewhere then what about the remaining 75% who are genuinely doing their job of treating you? Isn’t everyone generalising what a handful of people are doing? Sadly most of the media is interested in highlighting only such negative cases and changing the mindset of general public towards a more negative view of medical profession. Have you heard as much positive news from media about doctors ? The increasing incidence of violence against doctors has deteriorated the whole scenario further. If the patient lacks trust in the doctor, the doctor also acts in a guarded manner to save himself. In the end both suffer and it’s you who suffers most. So my request to all of you who are reading my message is to follow these simple steps while taking treatment :
1. Find out about qualified specialists and super-specialist according to your particular problem and disease 2. Select the Right Doctor who you feel is right for you 3. Once you select the doctor, go with an open mind. Trust him/her don’t go there with the attitude of shopping or bargaining, you are not there as a customer you are suffering from a health problem and you are approaching this doctor (whom you yourself selected) to help you in getting healthier and feeling better. The more you are open to receive your doctor’s advise, the more he or she will be able to help you out. It’s a two-way relationship 4. Write your queries and clear your doubts with your doctor on further visits and not with your neighbour or relative or on google. Remember half knowledge is dangerous. And so much half-cooked advise is floating in social media. Most of such advise comes from non-scientific people who have made it their job to oppose doctors. Such advice usually starts with: Doctors do not know this or doctors do not tell you this or some even say doctors are wrong.... this has become their propaganda to portray doctor as your enemy. They do this so that you listen to their non-medical advise and consider them as authority. Who is ultimately going to suffer? It’s YOU. We see several such patients on daily basis who stop taking the treatment and follow such baseless advises from non-scientific people, they come back with worsening of disease and symptoms. So many of my thyroid and diabetes patients are lured into ‘cure’ by such people and they come back with so many complications. That prompted me to write this post, because we doctors want the best of your health. We are on your side, and if you too will be on our side, may be soon the same level of doctor-patient relationship can be restored. And the effect will be your improved health and well-being.
Best Wishes
Dr Sonal Shrivastava
Endocrinologist, Indore
