My request to Indian Medical Association - legalise quacks

Reading the title you might be wondering - what are you saying? Why should quacks be legalised? They aren’t authorised to treat people, so why do you want that?

I will justify my answer. First let me tell you some facts. All over India there are many quacks practising as doctors. If my source is to be believed then Mumbai alone has a thousand plus doctors without medical degree. Thing is patients are coming to them for treatment and seemingly doing fine. So even if they reveal that they don’t have a legal degree, they’ll continue getting patients, because they have developed a certain trust with them.

Even otherwise there are patients who believe in self-medicating themselves. They look up to Google for information, without verifying credentials of the author, whether that person had a medical degree or not. And now people look up to AI tools for diagnosis. So if people can consult Google or AI, why can’t they consult quacks? It’s their life, their choice. 

Most people don’t want preventive healthcare. Tell them not to have ultra processed foods, they won’t stop. They want to live the life they want to and then take some medicine to get cured. Prevention is not better than cure, living the dream life is. So if someone wants to consult a quack, then let them do it. In any case we have people whose videos exhibit that they’ve cured others from incurable diseases by making them change their religion. So if such religious heads can treat people then why not quacks?

Also think that how cheap this will make healthcare to be. I have heard about kids of established doctors who first spent ₹1 crore to study MBBS on a paid seat and then ₹4 crore for MD again on a paid seat; eventually to join their family’s hospital. So if they have spent ₹5 crore (more than half a million dollars) just to buy degrees for practising, then they will ultimately recover it from patients. Therefore it’s better to let them join their parental profession and learn on the job. If people can become head of a company by joining their family business, thereby getting precedence over someone else more experienced and qualified, then why can’t it happen to Doctors? OTT platforms put more money on projects starring actor kids rather than rank newcomers. So if this happened to hospitals also then there will be patients trusting their favourite Doctor’s child more than a totally new entrant in the medical line. Hence if someone saves ₹5 crore on education then they’ll pass on the benefit directly to their patients. 

This will also boost the economy. A person won’t need to buy honorary Doctorate just to suffix “Dr.” for increasing their business prospects. With additional disposable income at their hand, they’ll spend it elsewhere, maybe on food, shopping and tourism (without relying on pharma companies to "sponsor" their trips). They can also use it to buy a laptop with subscriptions to paid AI tools. If they’re able to treat a patient with their experience then fine, if not then they can consult various AI tools. Chrome browser on their desktop will have multiple tabs open. One tab for ChatGPT, one tab for Claude, one for Gemini, one for MetaAI, etc. The moment a patient will ask a question, they’ll create prompt and feed to all these AI tools. Depending on whosoever gives the best answer, they’ll prescribe that solution. 

And if the prescription goes wrong then it’ll not be fault of the quack. Any patient going for treatment will fully know that they are going on their own to someone without a valid degree. Just like how no FMCG company forces people to consume their cheap packaged foods cooked in palm oil. People just want to buy a packet of biscuits for ₹5, irregardless of the raw material used. Grocery store owners have told me that they keep such stuff because their customers demand it. So who’s at fault - the person making/selling such goods or the person buying them?

Finally, let me tell you a few facts. Apple computers was started by Steve Jobs who didn’t have a degree in Computers. Some of the best rulers didn’t have a degree on how to govern. For skin treatment, many people these days are following advice from random YouTubers, even if it’s a paid content. A decent number of people first work as compounders in a big city clinic and later start their own medical practice in villages which thrives due to lack of a Doctor nearby. Even if people know it isn’t a real doctor, they still go as it gives them relief.

So if customers don’t have a problem then why do authorities have?

Thank god my dream didn’t get fulfilled

Years ago I had a dream, to have Rupees 100 crore in the bank. Then the yearly interest would be enough for me to make a good living. I’d be free to make the kind of helpful things I wanted to, without worrying about making a certain amount of money every month. 

Thank god this dream of mine didn’t get fulfilled. Because some years later I met someone who inherited a lot of money after death of a parent and decided to quit their job. 

The result? That person is the most negative one I’ve ever met. Because they don’t have anything to do. When mind is free then negative thoughts come by default, otherwise it takes hard work to develop positive thoughts. 

Coming to that person, I would tell them many times to develop a positive outlook but they wouldn’t listen. They would keep throwing their negativity on me. One day I read 80-20 rule and realised that the small time I spent talking to them was a big cause of my unhappiness. I decided not to talk to them for a while. What happened thereafter? I could notice significant changes in me. I finished 3 books in a week, something that would have taken months earlier. I could blog again, and plan about what I wanted to do next. Till the time I was talking and caring for healing them, I was in a negative zone. 

That made me realise that had I also inherited tonnes of money then I’d have lost the will to do hard work. Perhaps I’d have been complacent in making things that solve problems. Also, just because someone has a lot of money, doesn’t mean they’re rich. There are people who do good for the ones around them, while constantly working on ways to earn more and upskill themselves. I now have more regard for the hardworking person who reinvents themselves at every age. 

 

I get overtly attached to all my clients. Which is meh.

 I don’t know whether it’s my strength or weakness, that I believe in giving my best to every client I work with. 

If a client isn’t satisfied then I am unable to sleep properly at night. I want to ensure that they get the best solution for their needs.

If there’s a meeting then I turn up before time. Mostly the other party makes me wait, somehow I can’t do the same. 

I try to remember every promise I make to them so that I live up to it. I don’t make false promises just to win a client. 

For me no client is small or big. All are equal, hence their needs must be fulfilled. 

I make extra efforts to know what the client wants and how I can help them succeed. 

I speak less so that I can focus more on actual work delivery. If results are there then they will talk. 

I don’t commit to what I cannot do. 

Which is why, I wonder if it’s my weakness that I get overtly attached to every client I work with. 

Because not every client is the same. 

It’s not easy being an Indian doctor

 A lot of struggle and hardships are involved for someone who wants to become a doctor in India. 

First comes the competition. It’s so much that most bright students don’t get into MBBS. Seats are less but applying students are more. Just because someone didn’t get into MBBS, doesn’t mean they lack intelligence and skills. 

Then comes duration of the course. Most students live outside their homes for studies, in far off places, quickly mastering a language they aren’t familiar with. Engineering students will tell you about studying a week before exams and passing with decent grades, but not medical ones. While an engineering student gets a job towards end of 4 year course, struggle actually starts for a medical student. They need to study further and have no idea what specialisation they’ll get, unless their family members have arranged a paid seat. 

And so while some students get into MD, most don’t, despite repeated attempts. A few end up doing multiple diplomas to compensate so that they’ll at least have something. Again, just because someone didn’t get an MD seat, doesn’t mean they lack skill and brilliance. 

Masters in medical is quite hard. I have heard stories of students doing 36 hours duties without a morsel of food. They are treating patients while also studying. Several of them don’t get stipend, and if they do then the university draws all the cash from ATM accounts. The compromises one has to do to get their degree!

And while their masters is going on, comes the question of getting married. A few get married but not all of them, because they don’t want their education to be interrupted. Some want to study further because they feel they won’t be able to make a good career with just one masters degree. So when time comes to get married, many are still struggling. God bless the family members sponsoring their education, because these days it is quite expensive to make your child a doctor. 

Finally when the time arrives to start practice, pat comes the question, where? Because while software engineers keep changing their companies and cities, as per whichever pays them better, this facility is not for doctors. It takes them more than a decade to establish their practice, while being at the same place constantly. We hear about digital nomads in tech sector who earn in dollars and spend in Rupees, but not so in doctors tied up to a single location. When covid like thing comes then software engineers work safely from their homes but for doctors there’s no other option. 

Think before saying that doctors these days are cheats, greedy, inefficient and what not. You have no idea of the struggle they go through and the efforts it takes for someone to become a doctor in today’s time. 

When you truly love a girl

There’s a girl whom you love and she happens to love you back. You both care for each other. You spend years together, sharing so many beautiful moments. 

How would it feel to know that when she was born, people told her parents that it was their bad karma?

How would it feel that people told her family they were unlucky?

How would it feel that the girl who’s given you so much of love, was told upon her birth that a son should have been born?

How would it feel that lavish celebrations weren’t held after her birth just because of her gender?

How would it feel that her grandparents gave preference to her uncle and aunt because they gave birth to a boy?

How would it feel to know that she gave you so much of happiness, but her own arrival on earth wasn’t celebrated?

It doesn’t make any family inferior, if they have a girl instead of a boy. Yet, there is clearly a partiality if a boy is born. If data on abortions is made public, we’ll be shocked to know names of some prominent people who killed their child simply because it was a female. 

More than caring for whether it’s a boy or a girl, what matters is how you raise the child. Not all sons care for their parents in old age. Not all daughters are victim of abuse and as honest as they pretend to be. 

Characteristics of an average Indian patient

 1. Is impatient. Expects you to see them the minute they reach your OPD. 

2. No matter how much you do for them, their family would seldom regard you for going out of the way to cure them. 

3. Believes in taking the law in their hands in case something accidentally goes wrong at your hospital. 

4. You treat them right a hundred times , they’ll stay silent. Go wrong just once and they’ll ask all their friends to write negative reviews on the Internet. 

5. Thinks that doctors are a money printing machine. 

6. Wants to get everything free while charging money in their own line of work. 

7. Negatively troll the one who speaks the truth, without realising that it’s due to behaviour like theirs that Indian doctors are leaving their profession, sending kids abroad and remaining in perpetual fear of getting wrongly killed. 

End Note: I haven’t said that every Indian patient is like that. All I’ve said is how an average Indian patient is, based on personal observation. If you don’t have any of the above traits then congrats, it means you’re not an average Indian patient. 

• Yaju Arya

Atom bomb - Making free healthcare a reality

Most people want doctors to treat them for free, so that they won’t have to pay any money. The conventional thought among people is that healthcare should be free of cost. Yet, it doesn’t happen, for several reasons. Almost every doctor I personally regard, doesn’t believe in it. Still, if you want healthcare to be completely free, then here’s just one thing which you would have to do:

Start your own hospital and openly proclaim that everything will be free. All consultations. All surgeries. All tests. All medicines. Absolutely free of cost to the patient. 

Because you want free healthcare, na? So, do it yourself. Open up your own hospital. Purchase adequate land and construct it legally. Buy all the machines. Hire highly competent doctors on stupendous salary packages. Assure them they won’t have any work pressure, and that working for you will be like a dream come true. 

Think you can’t start your own hospital because you’re not a doctor? Well, let me tell you, that:

• The duo who started Fortis are not doctors. 
• The guy who started Max is not a doctor. 

These two are among the top Indian hospital chains. You go beyond them and make such an awesome brand that people will forget all others. So excellent that yours will be the de facto standard. 

The power of thinking big

Plan something world-class. Whatever is your perception of an ideal hospital, visualise that and make it happen. Build something so great that all those patients who negatively stereotype doctors, will come only to your hospital. Yours will be the preferred choice of everyone who thinks that doctors shouldn’t charge any fees from their patients. 

May you rock the world 

I would really want your hospital to succeed. May you have so many patients that your doctors will find it hard to handle. Then, how will you manage the workload? It’s simple. By recruiting more doctors. In fact, you can hire MBBS graduates, who vastly outnumber the amount of super specialists. Just visit medical colleges and do campus hiring. Give medical students a job offer while they’re still studying. That way they would settle down in 20’s, like some of their engineering counterparts. Further, it’ll reduce pressure on students to clear NEET and other PG exams. In any case, most aren’t able to clear them due to which they move to other fields like IT or Pharma. That way, if another pandemic-like situation comes, then there won’t be a shortage of qualified doctors in the market. 

Let people realise your greatness

Along with hiring undergraduate doctors, also spend money on a viral marketing campaign. Convince people that for most basic cases, it’s absolutely fine to get themselves treated from an MBBS doctor, instead of going for super specialists. Tell them that if they don’t have any problem using software made by a college dropout, why can’t they get themselves treated by a legit medical professional, who’s cured actual patients during their course of education? Make people realise that an MBBS doctor has a lot of clinical skill, not necessarily less than those who have cleared PG exams. Also, make them realise that some students don’t go for PG, because they can’t afford the options they’re getting. 

Stepping stones for success

Your next step will be to hire other staff for your hospital. This will consist of the usual ones such as nurses, compounders, receptionists etc. but that will not be all. You’ll hire some more type of people which others don’t hire. 

The first type will a person who’ll meet every patient after check up, asking them not to devalue the prescription, just because they’ve got it for free. Every doctor I’ve met, has faced this issue where people don’t value the consultation if it’s given to them free of cost. So what if those doctors failed? You hire special staff to make yourself succeed. Better still, you do that yourself. After all, you only wanted healthcare to be free, so you know better why people should value it. 

In addition to that, two more types of staff members will be required. One shall be those who will explain to patients that a doctor tries their best and it’s not their fault if a patient doesn’t recover despite all efforts. The second type will be bouncers, to flex their muscles, in case a patient argues with the doctor using random diagnosis taken from the Internet.

Completely forego any chance of profits

And now, coming to the medicines part. If you are one of those who considers profit a bad word for Pharma companies, then do this. Put up a sign board outside your hospital saying that medical representatives won’t be allowed. Have your own pharmacy giving generic medicines. All your doctors will prescribe their medicines only. In case a patient develops reaction to generic medicines of a certain brand, then it’ll be your fault and not that of the doctor. Because you only had set that rule. 

The best a patient can get

Due to free medicines, there can be chances of leakage. To prevent that, please make sure to invest in software. Have everything digitised, including prescriptions, pharmacy, inventory, CSSD, etc. 

A complete software-enabled setup will also result in a good patient experience. A common complaint among low-cost hospitals is too much of crowding and waiting times. But that shouldn’t concern you, because you’ll be doing something far-far better. Implement software to enable your patients to book appointment from home and come only when their turn is near. No one will have to sit inside for hours, while waiting for their turn. The overall experience should be such that if any patient wants an appointment then they’ll get it instantly, without having to wait for days or weeks. There’ll also be free pickup & drop facility along with valet parking, to ensure overall customer delight. Patients will actually look forward to visiting your hospital, instead of dreading. 

Everyone will be happy

In fact, make sure there is absolutely no complaint from the customer. So, all the floors should be clean, staff should be well behaved, cafeteria should serve delicious food, and infrastructure should be upgraded every few years. 

Also, your employee retention levels should be high. Doesn’t matter what’s the market situation, you will have to give them regular increments. If you’ve ever wondered why 15% of all doctors in USA are Indians, then here’s your chance to reverse the trend. Give your doctors an absolutely relaxed work environment and a very high pay. Also, give them annual paid vacations with family and the latest electronic gadgets. Offer so many benefits that whichsoever doctor works with you, will be so satisfied that they won’t ever think of working anywhere else.

Bring a revolution 

On the matter of complete satisfaction, you can do one more thing which will bring a revolution. In case a patient dies in the hospital, then their family members will be given money, as a compensation. That money will be deducted from your pocket, not that of the doctor. This will encourage doctors to work for you and also more patients will come visiting. Along with that, your home address and personal mobile number will be prominently displayed on the reception area. This is in case a patient dies accidentally and their family members want to know, whom to vent out their anger on. 

Last but not the least

Above all, make sure that the money you’re using to give free treatment, doesn’t have any source of dubious earnings. It shouldn’t be an indirect mean to change someone’s religious or political beliefs. It should not be a way to convert any black money into white. It should not be a means to cover up for someone’s past misdeeds. 

Earn your money the hard way, and use that to do something that will solve the healthcare problems forever. 

A beautiful doctor, who deserves to be cherished

Sitting in a PPE kit, she’s fully wrapped from top to bottom. With a double mask and a face shield. It’s very hot, the AC’s have been turned off, and she’s continually working non-stop for hours. 

People on her Facebook page don’t see her like this. They see her vacationing, enjoying good food, playing around with pets, celebrating birthdays of her family members. Some perhaps don’t even know that she’s a doctor. 

Before entering into the medical profession, she had aspirations, like several people of her age. She wanted to get married some day. She liked to dress up. Her favourite Pani Puri was the one served at a roadside stall. She was excited when her dad gifted her an MP3 player on 16th birthday. 

Being a Doctor is her profession. At a personal level, she’s not very different from you and me. 

She too wants to live a good life. 

She too wants to relax after a tiring day. 

She has immense affection for people who matter. 

She feels good every time money is credited into her account. 

For others, she’s just another doctor. For me, she means the world. 

I pray that whenever she gets a patient, then that person:

• Treats her with utmost respect. 
• Follows every bit of her prescription. 
• Behaves very well and talks nicely. 
• Pays whatever money she asks for. 
• Mentions the positive outcome of her treatment. 
• Understands that she’ll always try her best for the patient’s betterment. 
• Is a delight to deal with. 

From the outside, she’s someone wearing a lab coat, when at work. 

From the inside, she’s a person, who deserves to be cherished. 

You deserve more than what you think

At their 40th college reunion , an aged man walked up to an old lady. He told that he liked her, but could never muster the courage to confess his feelings, for fear of getting rejected. You know what the lady said? 

“Had you believed in yourself and tried a little bit more, you could have got me”. 

Somewhere, you might be able to relate to this story.

Our thoughts often hamper our progress. 

It happens to almost all of us. We remain stuck in mediocre jobs as we feel we won’t get into a better situation. We fill ourselves with unhappy thoughts, thinking that good will never happen to us. We feel that our dream will remain a mere dream, nothing more than that. 

You know why this happens?

Because we undervalue ourselves, and therefore, don’t live the life we could have lived. The cost of this can be as high as living an unfulfilling life, full of regrets. And if you want then this can change. 

The real change starts with you. 

Think of all that you want in life. Make a list of the best things that you like. Remove the thought that you won’t get them. Just make a start and then think, what will you have to do in order to get them? 

If you don’t try to get something, you’ll not get it (unless someone else is too kind to you). And if try for something with all your might, then sooner or later, you’ll get it. 

When everything else fails in life, it is hope that keeps us going. Even in the worst of times, never give up on hope. 

The Sea of Tranquility, by Arjun Suri

A day in the life of a doctor’s son

By the time I wake up, dad has already left for his clinic. He has several patients waiting for their turn. 

I remain at home. Time passes by. I am in the middle of my regular activities when someone calls me. Their family member got some disease (likely Corona) and wanted to talk to dad for second opinion. I reply that he’s in OPD and so busy that he cannot take calls. I tell them that if not urgent then I’ll make you talk to him when he’s home, meanwhile please send all reports. 

I go back to what I was doing, and then I receive message from an acquaintance regarding a doctor dying while saving people from covid. I can only be positive about my own home. Dad is 68+, yet he goes to treat so many patients each day. He sits in a PPE with the tightest mask available, so tight that even breathing becomes difficult after some time. For many hours he listens to patients and also talks a lot while explaining things. He only knows where he gets the energy to carry on. 

His designated hours are till 1:30 PM, yet he keeps seeing patients, at times beyond 4 PM. Every patient deserves a certain amount of time, for a fair treatment. Most patients come with a negative mindset and share their shenanigans with him. He listens to what they say, so that it’ll make them feel better. 

Finally he comes home, for a late lunch. Then he changes and takes a bath. Tries his best to keep things clean. Though he had a tough day, never tells anyone about it. Is totally calm and not in a complaining mode. Quietly eats his meals, when a patient calls on landline. He tells the patient that your wife has covid, he’ll message which medicines are to be taken for next few days, and don’t worry he’ll try that she doesn’t have to go to the hospital. After the call gets over, he continues with his meal. 

If there is evening curfew then he stays at home to do things that enhance his knowledge. He’s been keeping himself updated on covid, as new findings emerge and other doctors share their experiences. I can’t keep count of how many people he’s cured from the virus. Not just Jalandhar, also in other cities including metros. Some of my friends now trust his word, even though there are many other competent people around them. 

If there’s no night curfew then he goes to clinic again and works beyond his designated time. 

It’s 7:40 PM and I call my friend who used to live in Delhi. He tells me about his relative who paid ₹50,000 to someone there for a complete course via telephone, which included medicines and one call a day. I really wonder, how much money could dad have made if he did what a few others did? The house we live in, he had to take a bank loan for the same. So many sacrifices he did for the family, but never boasts about it. He’s earned lesser money than so many others. What he’s earned more is goodwill and heartfelt respect.

It’s due to people like him, that some people tell me that humanity is still alive. 

Streets of Hemingway by Arjun Suri

A very short thought-provoking story

 “A boy’s mother died due to cancer.”

That’s it. That’s the story. 

Now, I’ll ask you a few questions. 

• What is the political inclination of that boy?
• What is the religion practiced by them?
• What is their caste?
• How rich or poor they are?

Every day I see people fighting with each other on things such as politics, religion and what not. They don’t get together to solve problems. Is there anyone who can’t be affected by cancer? Someone is living a normal life, suddenly they get cancer and boom, everything gets over. 

Why can’t we get together to devise a permanent cure for unwanted things like cancer? Instead of solving such problems, we are busy fighting with each other. We don’t realise that there are many problems still to be solved by humanity, and we won’t do that if we keep wasting our time on hate. 

Many years ago I stopped being a regular user of social media because people there would spend time talking about disliking someone. I cannot handle that much negativity, so I distanced myself. There are some WhatsApp groups which I’ve kept on mute and stopped conversing with few people who’d talk non-stop about problems, instead of creating the solution themselves. 

• We haven’t solved the problem of people dying prematurely due to cancer. 
• We haven’t solved the issue of depleting water table. 
• We haven’t reduced air pollution. 
• We haven’t figured out ways to recycle things properly, especially plastic. 
• Above all we haven’t made crime zero on earth. We think a messiah will come and solve these problems forever.

That won’t happen, until we realise that change has to come from within us. 

And that change will not occur , till we stop finding faults in others, and start working towards a better future. 

A Solitary Pursuit, by Arjun Suri