The “Me” in Society: Doctor's Ethical Dilemmas and Patient Care

This essay, titled "The 'Me' in Society," presents a doctor's personal reflection on medical ethics, patient care, and professional responsibility. The author, drawing from a childhood experience and observations as a medical professional, discusses the ethical dilemmas faced by doctors, including the pressures of cross-sales targets, the importance of empathetic patient treatment, and the impact of negligence. The essay highlights the significance of doctors prioritizing patient well-being over financial gain, emphasizing the need for honest practice and compassionate service. It also touches on the consequences of unethical behavior, the importance of treating patients as human beings, and the value of doctors who serve humanity selflessly. The author uses personal anecdotes, references to surveys, and philosophical concepts to underscore the critical role of ethical conduct in the medical field, ultimately advocating for a healthcare system that prioritizes patient rights and well-being.

THE “ME” IN SOCIETY
Due to the negligence rush& overdose of prescribed drug, Prince Rogers Nelson age 57, a
famous songwriter died tragically. He left behind four beautiful young teenage daughters as a
survivor & a widower. This is not the first time; we might be reading such news articles &could
relate to tragedy?
Being a professional doctor this comes as a routine task to supervise & see patients personally.
In return, patient’s blind trust & confidence to invest time & energy in you makes you more
responsible & accountable.
Such human despair should be responded with empathically.
The increasingly widespread of health issues, conditions, illnesses, injuries requires doctors to be
competent & take timely actions/measurements to attentively detect & cure it. Today every
health care centre, hospital and doctors seem to take undue advantage of practices preached and
tend to focus on wealth creation at expense of ill-treated patients. There are numerous examples
wherein incorrect medicines which have strong negative adverse effects on patient are prescribed
leading to major health issues with patient. The society feels helpless & blindly follows doctor
advises due to the faith/trust embedded in them.
For me, pondering over human plights & thinking sympathetically comes from a childhood
experience & learning. During my young days, I was bed ridden for a couple of days with a bad
cough, cold & seizures. My parents with concern approached a neighborhood doctor who sent
me back home saying its nothing to worry about. But prolonged weakness made me weak &
dizzy & after approaching second doctor I was detected with pneumonia. Timely intervention
saved my life but a thought graved inside my mind. Thousands of kids die due to mere
negligence & doctors just thinking about their paychecks. At that moment, I promised to be best
doctor available.
Now turning back to today, I have also experienced cross sales targets in hospitals & peer
doctors influencing & requesting for references & recommendations be it for patients, billings or
newly launched expensive medicines. For this, we are offered per referral bonus & incentives for
recommendations. Aiming for cross sales targets results in lengthy experiments & procedures on
patients which is sometimes not warranted & required. For e.g. a simple cough & cold patient for
which we can give a already tested medicine as per peer doctors & hospital targets would be
requested for a X-ray examination, newly launched medicines & then a second opinions from
another doctor. Personally I felt, from my own conscious that they are treated as guinea pigs in a
laboratory.
Seeing the last year 2015 survey due to sheer negligence & experiments on the part of hospitals
& doctors atleast 1: 250 in treated patients have been reported & proved to be medically unfit.

It’s a duty of the doctor to tell & patients’ right to know about the procedure & process, how a
doctor communicates to an individual & attention at which a doctor listens before a conclusion is
drawn.
Studying & practicing hard earned degree honestly, comes from the basis of the virtue &
upbringing. Seeing fatty pay cheques certainly massages ego, but it can never satisfy once guilt
conscious.
Due to unethical & incompetent ways, certain doctors bring shame in the society of noble
medical practitioners. Leaving unprofessional ways & serving the humanity compassionately
distinguishes you from rest of the crowd & automatically rewards/recognition follows you.
And, serving underprivileged ones & poor ones for free or for meager amount teaches human
kindness.
Competing with fellow doctors & reaching heights in term of status, fame & power makes you
satisfy your avarice. But, thinking patients like a family member & treating them as humans will
stop ones conscious of misleading people & making them fall in a medical trap. Sometimes bad
doctors need to come into the shoes of patients to understand their mental asylum.
As a medical practitioner, one should treat the patient as a human soul.
On an alternative side many doctors have indeed served humanity with great dignity, pride,
effortlessly without any self motive & they are truly remembered & honored for the medical
advancements they have blended along with serving the society. Such doctors are indeed
worshipped as gods & treated with heartfelt respect.
References
Arjoon, S. (2000). Virtue theory as a dynamic theory of business. Journal of Business Ethics, 28(2), 159-
178.
Crosby, B. C., & Bryson, J. M. (2005). Leadership for the common good: Tackling public problems in a
shared-power world (Vol. 264). John Wiley & Sons.
Donnelly, J. (2013). Universal human rights in theory and practice. Cornell University Press.

Habermas, J. (2014). The future of human nature. John Wiley & Sons.