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?

Appreciation letter to Indian doctors, who are also good humans

Dear good humans who happen to be doctors,

I just wanted to thank you from my heart. People like me have got so much from you all, that we can’t express enough gratitude. 

Thank you for spending precious years of your youth in education. As a result you earned your first salary much later than school classmates. Because you studied so much to form a good base, it ensured we patients got goodnesses in treatment. 

Thank you for inspiring the common citizen. I have seen you working crazy hours and giving your best to the wellness of every patient that you can. If you can do this and be at your best, then surely can others.

Thank you for optimism. This is something everyone can learn from you. Even when a patient comes with less chances of survival, there are cases you make them survive by being positive.

Thank you for caring. I have seen so many doctor families of my parents’ generation, who ensured a good lifestyle for their children. They sacrificed personal comfort for the benefit of their next generation. Especially those who themselves didn’t get much facilities in their own youth. 

Thank you for being strong. Coming to work every day, battling unreasonable people, learning new things in spare time, having untimely meals. And yet you keep going on.

Thank you for your diligence. Every patient who comes to you is unique. They have their own history and complications. You analyse all of that quickly, and offer solution which your experience tells will be right for them. And you don’t celebrate one success, as you quickly move on to the next case. 

Thank you for self learning. Despite having so many working hours, you make sure to catch up on new advancements. While balancing family and other commitments. At the same time dealing with various types of people, in your hospital as well as from other industries. You spend your entire lifetime in learning and use that to bring betterment in someone else’s life. 

Thank you for happiness. So many times people came to you with no other option left and you got them out of that situation. All while saying that results are in the hand of god and you have just done your duty. 

Thank you for everything. A good human in India has to face many things in order to become a doctor. Colleges charge insanely high fees, and they’re usually not run by people in medical field. Curriculum is far more rigid than other professions. While 20-something engineers are enjoying spending money, doctors are a long way to go before they start earning. Patients prefer getting treated from specialised ones, so they have to do multiple degrees. All of this when hearing things about violence against them. Some patients question their years of knowledge by discussing a few random articles on Google. Work life balance is practically nonexistent. There’s always competition from uncertified practitioners and naysayers. The money you earn is not always equal to the level of stress you take. Some people expect you to treat for free, and if you do that by putting money from own pocket, it’s not valued enough. Then there are those who expect doctors to do all the charity. Life of a good person in this field is always tough, yet you keep going at it. 

If you are a patient then please understand that there are two types of humans, of which one is the good type. As will be society, so will be humans and so will be doctors. If 100 out of 100 humans in a society are magnificent, then same ratio will be for doctors. Every human goes through a lot for becoming a doctor, they are people among us in this profession. If you get treated from a doctor , then consider them as working professionals and not god. Treat them with respect and also understand the constraints at their end. We people cannot survive without doctors, so we must ensure that we save them. 

If you are a doctor then I cannot thank you enough for all the good things that you’ve done. I am grateful for the support you gave me on my previous blog post. 

As you do your practice, I am aware of the issues which plague you. Things may take time to change for the better. I just wanted to thank you for all the happiness you’ve brought in my life. If there’s one thing I can do for you, then it is this. 

Dear good humans of India who are doctors. I pray for you. Please close your eyes and think. Whatever is your top one wish, may it get fulfilled ASAP. 

Once again, thank you and may god bless.