Doctors reply to Aamir Khan [Satyamev Jayate]

[harpoon]

Similar things in other state as well... The only problem is lack of govt colleges, Govt need to multiply number of colleges ASAP.

A part of NREGA will be enough.

 

[baajey]

Dear Dr. Sheikh,

You have made some very valid points about doctors not being treated right or given enough protection, salary or importance by the government.

But before you question why the show targeted doctors only and not any other profession like engineers, architects or MBAs etc, please don't for get the sanctity of the medical profession. Around the world, and particulraly in India, doctors are like god, in whose hands we place our trust, our money and most importantly our lives. An MBA or an engineer cannot directly affect our lives in the same way a doctor can. Our well being is very literally in a doctor's hands, and most of the times we place complete and utter, even blind faith in what a doctor tells us. When a woman is having a baby and in labour, for example, if the doctor says there are complications and a C-section is required, 99% people will not argue with that; they will take their word for it and tell the doc 'do whatever you can and WHATEVER YOU THINK IS BEST to keep my wife and child alive and healthy.' One does not have the same reaction when your banker tells you your shares have gone down or when you CA says you're going in losses. You research, you look at other options, you take your own time to figure things out before you make a decision. But when a doctor tells you something, you listen. That is how sacred a profession medicine is. And when members of the medical fraternity start to play with the lives that are placed in their trust, it is indeed shameful. Just remember than an engineer or MBA or any other professional's negligence or misinformation can be damaging and can result in great financial losses but misinformation and negligence from a doctor can directly result in loss of life.

Please also remember that most other professionals are not required to take an oath to practice their profession, for the very reasons that I've mentioned above.

However, I do agree that doctors, particularly in India, are far from being treated/compensated for the noble work that they do. As you rightly compared, after almost a decade of studies, their pay is still nowhere close to that of an MBA or engineer. And the government is not helping the situation at all.

Having said that, you must also note that all Indians are aware of the situation in India. Every one knows the state of healthcare in India as well as the condition that most doctors have to survive in. While it may be far from ideal, it is the reality that we must live in. And if one has chosen to be in the medical profession in India, then clearly one must accept the way things are (till they change). If it is your goal to make a lot of money and have an easy life, then you have clearly made the wrong choice, knowing fully well the way things are for most doctors in the country. And if you have entered medicine, it should be because you want to help mankind in general, not just make money. Like you said, there are other avenues/professions where you can make 5 times more money in half the time. So if one chooses medicine, it should be for the right reasons.

Regards,
Bhavya

wellcome....nice 1st post

 

[Zeeshan360]

In Karnataka it goes over 1lakh to study even if they get a merit seat. No one can be forced to do charity. there are many doctors and organisations which do charity on this behalf. let others earn money. If government si bothered they should make medical free for all people and collect taxes like in foreign countries.

Retard .. If you don't know anything about Medical seats ..
Please don't open your mouth

what a crappy, this fellow wants some cheap publicity, we all know MD seat sold upto crores, in karnataka, none of MD seat is available below 30 lakhs.

MBBS seats are cheaper but still it goes to 60 lakhs in average colleges. reputed college take what ever they want.

engineering seats goes max 10th lakhs, a clever person can bargain it cheaper though.

but if marks are good, no need to pay for engineering seats, only dumb as$ rich kids buy engineering seats.

Only dumb as$ kids make a comment like this

This is what I know about Kerala.

1. Merit Seats: In Govt Colleges=Rs 50,000 per year (All seats are merit seats in Govt colleges). In Pvt Colleges=Rs 2.5 to 3.5 lakh per year.

2. Management Seats: Rs 7-8 lakhs per year

3. NRI Seat= Rs 10 lakh or up per year

Only sensible post in this thread

 

[Contract Killer]

Doctors are bl**dy chors. They have there commission fixed in almost every location visited by patients. Be it Screening centres of medical shops or blood/ stool test centers.

There is absolutely zero sense of "Service to the Humanity" in them.

They are worst then ICICI Banks personal loan dept (best example of old time Sahukars).

 

[CorporateAffairs]

The reply is fair enough. Agreed.

But to 90% of docs in Bangalore are robbers.

You consult them for a small stomach pain, they will advise you a CT scan, X-Ray, all 100 blood tests and any other tests available. The bill would be around 10,000 and they would say, thank god nothings wrong at this moment, but use these medicines (about 5000)..!!

Medicine was a noble profession once upon a time not anymore.

Wifey is a doc, and she herself agreed that medicine is a pure commercial profession now!!

 

[satishkumarcsc]

I think we doctors must not practise till a proper medical policy is announced...that way it would save a lot of rant from everyone.

 

[harpoon]

I think we doctors must not practise till a proper medical policy is announced...that way it would save a lot of rant from everyone.

Ever heard of ESMA.

 

[Bang Galore]

Actually, the show was no surprise. Just saying what was already known especially to those in the medical profession or their families.

It's a simple case of arithmetic - an MD seat (Radiology) in a private institution (forget govt. seats, they are cheap but the students don't have the cash to set up a business) costs Rs. 2 crores (yeah, you heard it right). Logic normally would indicate that as extremely bad business proposition since Rs.2 crores could straightaway get you about 20 lakhs a year if kept in FD's. Add to that setting up a scan centre (which one has to do since working for someone else would be a loss) which could cost anything upwards of 6-8 crores. So, a newly passed out radiologist with no real references & an investment of about 10 crores (Maths- 1 crore interest money) has to work on making his business profitable. How does he do that? He has to get a large turnover of patients requiring(or not) scans. His patient reference device is another doctor having a general or specialist practice. Why should they give it to him? Money has to pass hands; the more your investment, the more cut that is required to create a sustainable turnover.

End of story.....and to hell with the patient (who actually pays for the cut too)!

 

[notsuperstitious]

What's next, banks want the same set of rules that apply to a tailor? Doctors are in a position of trust, end of debate.

 

[Kinetic]

Message to AMIRKHAN
MEDICOS N DOCTORS.

Dear Mr. Amir Khah,
“NOT ALL DOCTORS ARE GREEDY”
“THERE IS NO PROFESSION THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
CLEAN”
“DOCTORS ARE OBLIGED TO SERVE BY CHOICE, NOT BY
COMPULSION” Sir,
I have been a big fan or your work, life and
principles. I am also a fan of ‘Satyamev Jayate’. But I
was shocked to see the episode on 27th May,
2012. You are an Icon. You should have thought
well and done the homework before doing such a biased show. There are only two people in the film
industry that are being taken seriously by the
thinking class of society, You and Amitabh
Bacchhan. So, when you give such a biased and
one sided version of a story, it hurts. Speaking
about such a thing on a “commercial” TV show is bad. (I am sure you have taken a big amount, only
doctor are supposed to do charity and social work,
not actors!!! Right!) I want to highlight few important points here. And
yes I am qualified to make observations as I am a
medical student.

1. Your guests and audience (the words were
almost put in their mouth) said that private colleges
charge a capitation fee of 40 – 50 Lacs for MBBS,
you should have also produced some evidence of
such practice. Like you call a victim in all your
episodes, why not here? And do the same story Engineering, Architecture, Law and MBA colleges,
do you think they are clean? Why target doctors
alone?

2. You said Since 2001, government opened 31
medical colleges and 106 private institutes were
opened. – Please note that today in India, there are
a total of 181 Private and 152 Govt Medical
colleges. So the number is not as bad s you
projected. Don’t project only the time period which suits your story. Either give a complete picture or do not give a picture at all!
And also, please find out how many of these
private colleges are owned by politicians? 95% of
Private colleges in India are owned and run by
politicians. It is a bloody nexus between politicians and MCI. The corruption by politicians is to blamed
for the mess, not doctors!!!

3. One of your guest (Dr. Gulhati) said that doctors
ask for 30% commission from Pharma companies
to write their drugs. That is baseless, over-the-roof
and sensationalizin g the matter. That is as true as
“Most Leading actors ask newcomers to sleep with
them” or “Lawyers take money from both the sides in a legal battle” or “Most chartered
accountants teach their clients how to save tax and
also pass info to taxman on where his client saved
tax”. I know all of you will shout “Where is the
proof?”. So are doctors!!! I am not trying to sensationalize things as you did
on your show by shading those fake tears, but just
trying to project that allegations are easy to make. I
know you will say that this was the opinion of our
guest, and not yours. But you provided a platform
for these fake allegations.

4. You compared the numbers of Licenses cancelled
in England and in India. I must say your team is
quite resourceful and please collect and compare
following details also –
a.Number of doctors beaten on duty by goons
from various political outfits in government hospitals in UK and India in last 10 years, and also
the number of people convicted for such crime.
b.The Stipend (Salary a post-graduate trainee
doctor/intern gets) or Salary and accommodation
facilities provided to the doctors of the two
countries. c.The duty hours and working conditions of the
doctors of the two countries.
d.The academic and research infrastructure being
provided to the medical students. 5. You said that the most brilliant students who
take up medicine, should take it only for service to
mankind, they should go to other fields if they
want to earn. Why? Are we living in imperialism?
Are doctors not allowed to earn and spend a good
life? You were asking Dr. Devi Shetty whether he can do humanitarian work and Earn at same time?
This is like asking Amirkhan or Shahrukh-khan
their income and generalizing it for every actor in
the industry (Even junior artists). Sir, just as there
are only few Khans and Kapoors, There are even
fewer Devi Shetty and Naresh Trehan who run their chain of Multi-specialty hospitals spread all
over the country. See what it takes to become a
doctor and then give such “Geeta-Gyan”.
a.

5 and half year of MBBS training and 1 more year
of Compulsory Rural Internship at Rs. 15000 -
20000 per month. (Any other field eg. Engineering, Management, a person would become
Postgraduate in this much time and start earning
double the amount.)
If one doesn’t study further, the pay at this step is
22,000 per month.
b. After above 6 and half years of Graduation, 3 more years of Postgraduation, followed again by
compulsory rural / Government job for 1 year or
pay Rs. 25Lac bond.
If one doesn’t study further, the pay at this step is
40,000 per month.
c. After this above 10 and half years, 3 more years of Superspeciality , followed by 1 year of Govt job
or a Bond of Rs. 2 Crore. And the seats are so few with tough competition,
there tends to be a gap of a year or two in
preparing for various entrance exams.

6. Why only Doctors are being forced to work in
rural and government hospitals after their study?
Why only we should pay government if we don’t
want to do it? The rural/Govt sector needs help of Engineers,
Lawyers, Chartered Accountants and MBAs also. Why aren’t the Engineers sent to rural areas to
design and monitor roads and industrials
development?
Why aren’t the Lawyers forced to work as Public
prosecutors before they can join some big foreign
corporate firm? Why aren’t the CAs asked to work in CAG office
and various other government financial sectors
before joining Multinational Giants? Now government wants that doctors should not
immigrate to other countries without asking them.
Why? Are the IIT/IIM students stopped before they
flee to foreign countries for big fat salaries? So,
why us? What is it that government of society has
done for doctors that they should repay? They bloody can’t even protect them from goons while
on duty. 7. You say that doctors are writing unnecessary
and costly medications. Do we decide the price of a
drug? Do we manufacture or give license to drug
manufacturers? Controlling the price of essential
drugs is a government job. We are helpless. Sir, its easy to point fingers. We don’t say that all is
well. But all is not well anywhere. Its a different
thing creating awareness about dowry or female
feticide. But its entirely different to comment on
such a technical and complicated issue without
getting into the details of it. You have maligned the entire medical fraternity.
For every 10 doctors who are doing wrong, there
are more than 1000 healers. You owe us an
apology!!! This issue is not as simple as you think it
is! Please show stories which are unbiased and
straight-forwar d. You cannot do justice to such an issue, especially after charging a whooping
amount for creating awareness!!! (We hear that Amir has charged 3 crores for
episode of satyamevjayate in which he spreads
the message to doctors that they should not make
money and do social service!!! How sacred!!! I
don’t know if its true, but well, it’s the season of
allegations!) “We Doctors may be doing little social service, But
at least we are not charging for it!”

Admin - Dr.Azhar Sheikh

Wall Photos | Facebook

Doctors forget that they are studying with public money. They also forget that it is very different from other professions, its not only noble but people treat them like god.

 

[Bang Galore]

Doctors forget that they are studying with public money. They also forget that it is very different from other professions, its not only noble but people treat them like god.

Not all of them study with public money. The difference in attitude comes when they see software engineers who are usually just B.E./B.Tech having studied 4 years earning much more than Doctors holding post graduate & super specialisation degrees which involve 4.5+1 at undergraduate level, 3 years for post graduation & a further 2 years of specialisation. Then money becomes the primary factor & ethics go out of the window. Just check the number of doctors who are "sponsored" by drug companies to conference (essentially a paid vacation). The quid pro quo is also very clear.

The number of hysterectomies (removal of uterus) being done in India is ridiculously alarming & a large number of them unnecessarily. Insurance fraud is a major issue with almost all middle rung hospitals padding up the bills if insurance is being claimed. Another problem with insurance is that quite a few unnecessary procedures are done on such patients with the victim not bothering with it because he does not have to pay the bills. Anyone who believes in the nobleness of this profession is living in a lost world.

 

[SamantK]

Retard .. If you don't know anything about Medical seats ..
Please don't open your mouth
Only dumb as$ kids make a comment like this
Only sensible post in this thread

No Zeeshn, Medical colleges have very high fees, anywhere between 25 lacks and above is what I have seen personally too in AP.

 

[harpoon]

Not all of them study with public money. The difference in attitude comes when they see software engineers who are usually just B.E./B.Tech having studied 4 years earning much more than Doctors holding post graduate & super specialisation degrees which involve 4.5+1 at undergraduate level, 3 years for post graduation & a further 2 years of specialisation. Then money becomes the primary factor & ethics go out of the window. Just check the number of doctors who are "sponsored" by drug companies to conference (essentially a paid vacation). The quid pro quo is also very clear.

The number of hysterectomies (removal of uterus) being done in India is ridiculously alarming & a large number of them unnecessarily. Insurance fraud is a major issue with almost all middle rung hospitals padding up the bills if insurance is being claimed. Another problem with insurance is that quite a few unnecessary procedures are done on such patients with the victim not bothering with it because he does not have to pay the bills. Anyone who believes in the nobleness of this profession is living in a lost world.

Then they should have never joined the medical professsion in the first place and give up the seat for one who truly cares. I would rather have a doctor who scored 98.6% and believes in serving the humanity rather than a 98.7% doctor who is hell bent on minting money.

 

[WUDA]

Dear Mr.Aamir Khan,
I have been trying hard but cannot get
over the fact that you can 'sell'
ignorance with such ease annd
honour.
Though I agree to 'parts' of your show , Lets first get the facts right.
1) You said patients on dialysis live
upto 15-20 years. Fact - The 5 year
survival rate of patients on dialysis is
about 25-30 % ( less than many
cancers). Renal transplant remains the best available treatment option for
chronic kidney disease. (I hope you
take responsibility for people who after
watching your show plan to not go for
kidney transplant and die in less than 5
years) 2) An overenthusiastic girl from the
audience said that her father was
forced for an emergency liver
transplant '6-7 years' ago for
gastroenteritis. Fact- Even today there
are ' a handful' of hospitals in India offering liver transplants. To think that
6-7 years ago , just a gastroenteritis
patient was offered liver transplant is
not only improbable but technically
impossible.
3) A diabetic patient blamed a doctor for losing a toe. Fact- Lacs of diabetic
patients per year lose entire limbs due
to diabetic foot ( cellulitis and
gangrene) . Doctors go about stepwise
cutting off toes , then foot , even the
leg upto above knee level in order to save as much limb as possible. The
patient in your show might still be able
to walk just because of the timely
action taken by the surgeon.
Mr. Aamir Khan i am not getting back
at you because i took your show personally. Yes , I agree that there are
doctors indulging in shameful
malpractices and even i know a few of
them. But i can proudly say i am
surrounded by more doctors who
work day and night just to ensure that their patients get the best possible
treatment..The' BAD' doctors should be
punished and we all can come
together to ensure we do not
encourage such malpractices.
Secondly i would have appreciated if you would have thrown some light on
the entrance examinations and the
hard wor , dedication and sacrifices a
doctor needs to clear his MBBS, MD,
DM etc examinations.
I wish you had spent half a day in the emergency department and OPD of a
Govt. Hospital and realised that the
work timings, working conditioons,
lunch breaks, doctor : patient ratio,
hours of sleep per week , living
conditions in the hostel and the stipend is worse than a class 4
labourer. You would have also
surprisingly realised that the
'DOCTORS' are the only 'FUNCTIONAL'
part of a Govt. Hospital which still
caters to thousands of patients in a day. When you compared statistics of
U.K and India , why didnt you include
the salaries, living standards and the
doctor: patient ratio the doctors have
in developed countries.
Coming to generic drugs, Yes, a large amount of rural population should
have access to cheap generic drugs.
But one should not forget the pharma
companies that charge more for the
drugs are the ones that spend crores
of rupees for research and development of new drugs. Had there
not been drug trials no new drugs
would have been invented and we
would have mortality rates compared
to stone age.
Also i agree that most doctors endorse certain brands of drugs ( which i do
not deny may be for some financial
gains also ) because thay have faith in
the quality of the 'active drug' of
certain companies. Yes many local
companies manufacture generic products ( which is a copy of the
original molecule discovered by the
expensive company)which can be
used for unaffordable patients. But you
did not mention that many of these
generic drugs are of substandard quality and are the reason of many
uncalled for deaths due to drug
reactions. Most doctors would not
want to take responsibilty of the quality
of the 'generic' drugs.
Lastly, What do you mean when you say ' People of high IQ and desire to
earn money should not become
doctors'. Why arent doctors allowed to
have an ambition ?? How can a person
who earns 4 crores for an episode of a
so called 'social' show decide on what should be an individual's ambition and
financial staus !! Why can there be no
doctors who earn well for their
professional skills and do not indulge
in malpractices ?! It just reflects your
hypocrisy. I would like to offer a few solutions to
the problem.
a) ' BAD' doctors indulging in
malpractices should be suspended for
life. We need a strong regulatory
authority to publish expected treatment 'protocols' and punish
doctors found to be doing unethical
practices.
b) Regulatory authorities should also
keep a check on the quality of drugs
being manufactured and at the same time 'sold' at the local chemist.
c) Govt. medical colleges and hospitals
should multiply several folds,
increasing the number of doctors in
each department , improving the
doctor: patient ratio. Doctor's salaries and living conditions shoul be looked
after and should be comparable to
other professionals.
d) Regular CME'S and licensing exams
( like other countries) every 5-10 years.
e) The Govt. should spend 6-8% of GDP ON HEALTHCARE and a part of
which should also be committed to the
research and development of newer
drugs.
f) No politician should be allowed to be
associated with any private medical colleges.
g) The general public should be
educated well about common diseases
and the 'acceptable' qualifications of
the doctors.
These are just a few points i can think of at the moment. I am sure had you
bothered to have a panel discussion
and find solutions in a healthy way, We
could come up with a lot more viable
solutions.
However you chose to sensationalise your show, by hiring 'few' people with
'fake' or 'amplified' problems and shed
a few tears.
Hope you understand that Your
allegations like ' HAMARE DESH KE
DOCTORS ITNE BIMAAR KYUN HAIN' and 'MAUT KE SAUDAGAR' are as
seriouus as calling all actors
'Rapists' ( after the shiney ahuja
incident ) and all Muslims 'Terrorists' .
Knowing that you twisted not one but
not many known medical 'facts' to strike a chord with the 'ignorant'
'naive' audience, How do you expect
me to have faith in you and the stories
you would project in the upcoming
shows. You have betrayed a large
segment of the 'classes' as well as 'masses'.
All i can say is i feel sad for the death
of the 'image' you created in our minds
and hearts. An unbiased Aamir who
strives for nothing but the truth and
the betterment of the society was afterall a MYTH.
Condolences,
An honest Doctor . _________________

 

[gilaan]

what a crappy, this fellow wants some cheap publicity, we all know MD seat sold upto crores, in karnataka, none of MD seat is available below 30 lakhs.

MBBS seats are cheaper but still it goes to 60 lakhs in average colleges. reputed college take what ever they want.

engineering seats goes max 10th lakhs, a clever person can bargain it cheaper though.

but if marks are good, no need to pay for engineering seats, only dumb as$ rich kids buy engineering seats.

around 30000 students in karnataka get engineering seats every year through CET (common entrance test).....and the fees is between 25000 to 60000 per year........but under management quota and COMEDK it costs more than lakhs...........may be in some reputed engg colleges in bangalore the fees may go to 10 lakhs......CET are also conducted for medical seats ,but dont knw exactly the fees..............many students in karnataka are getting advantage of this...........engineering is not limited to clever and rich students here................