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Violence against Doctors

Last week’s gory incident in which a renowned super-specialist, Dr. Rohit Gupta was mercilessly beaten up by disgruntled relatives in a private hospital in Allahabad has shocked not just doctors, but most sensible members of society.

The CCTV video showing the goons drag Dr Gupta to a room in the hospital and thrash him for over 15 minutes, has gone viral and evoked sharp outcry. Dr Gupta who sustained a fracture of his jaw bone and multiple other injuries is undergoing treatment in another hospital. He had gone to visit the 80 year old critically sick patient at 4 AM in the morning, who died, when this incident occurred.

The fall out of such an event causes great harm to society, especially patients in dire need of medical help at odd hours. I am sure Dr Gupta, having learnt the lesson of his life, will refuse to take calls at odd hours. And so will many other doctors practicing in small hospitals and nursing homes.  If society and administration doe not inspire confidence in doctors about their safety, they are expected to retract to safer zones.

It is not without reason that doctors tend to concentrate and practice in big cities and are reluctant to settle or open clinics in small towns and villages. Vandalizing clinics and beating up doctors is not uncommon in small setups making good doctors flee to safer pastures.

Grief and frustration are legitimate emotional responses of relatives especially in the event of death of a loved one. But anger often leads to violence. And unless the law enforcers provide adequate security to doctors, they are likely to play safe and not attend to suffering patients in desperate need, at odd hours.

The good old family physician who would make a home visit on a telephone call, has almost disappeared in most places. Well qualified doctors are reluctant to visit homes. The most badly affected are the frail and elderly. Apart from the inconvenience, it is the huge costs that families will have to bear to take them now to hospitals to seek medical attention.

Violence against doctors receives a perverted sanction from movies and television serials too. It is not uncommon to see bereaved relatives in TV serials catching a doctor by the collar when he breaks the bad news.

One could argue that doctors are sometimes rude, calloused and insincere in their dealings that evoke the ire of relatives.  That the medical profession is no longer held as noble and revered as it once was, is often attributed to a doctor’s monetary greed and sometimes, unethical ways. I  am sure there are black sheep in every profession, and the medical fraternity is no exception.

But the use of violence as an instrument to “teach” doctors a lesson is bound to boomerang and jeopardize the needy and the poor. 

It would be a great disservice to the community if civil society does not condemn such violence against doctors and ensure that the culprits are punished.