Page 38 - NAMAH-Oct-2017

Namah Vol. 25, Issue 3, 15th October 2017

kin to be deficient. compromised, but an overdose of medical
investigations surely leaves the patient and her
Return on Investment considerations family deprived of mental peace and some
hard-earned green stuff.
To be a mere graduate in any discipline of
medicine does not amount to much these When the costliest of medicines and gadgets
days. Even to become a graduate, the hapless get recommended by physicians, stakeholders
souls have to experience at least five and a of pharmaceutical companies and those in the
half years of the tyranny of the classroom, field of medical equipment laugh all the way
with the trauma of a stint as an intern thrown to the bank. Admittedly, quite a lot of money
in for good measure. gets pumped into research and development,
but it is open to debate as to how much profit
Monetary rewards obviously vary depending could be considered rational and socially
upon their choice of a career. They could justified.
choose to be in their own private practice, or
join a private sector outfit or become a part of Much like the marketing honchos in the private
the public health delivery mechanism. sector who bring in business and resultant
moolah, such physicians happen to be the
If public spending on the health infrastructure blue-eyed boys of any entity which boasts
is woefully inadequate, private players end of being a corporate facility.
up playing an important role in the medical
education scenario. Many aspiring physicians The grey-eyed ones
opt for a private sector skill provider. As a
consequence, hassled parents end up shelling Physicians who are part of the government
out sackfuls of the green stuff. Return on healthcare-delivery system and happen to be
Investment considerations then determine conscientious by nature are often overloaded
the choice of their career. with work. Monetary rewards are often not
commensurate with the efforts being put in.
The blue-eyed ones The eyes of a majority of them would be a
dull grey, revealing a soul which is tormented
The resourceful ones set up their own practice. and has given up hope.
If the going is good, some of them end up
laughing all the way to the bank, what Besides having to publish research papers
with hefty commissions coming in from in peer-reviewed journals and making
such allied medical service providers presentations at medical seminars, students
as marketers of branded medicines and have to be guided, examinations have to be
diagnostic clinics. conducted and internal meetings need to be
attended. Administrative chores cannot be
Those who happen to be associated with ignored.
five-star private sector health facilities have
tough business targets to meet. This is not Above all, routine patient care cannot be
to say that patient care necessarily gets made to suffer. Patients, whether of the ‘in’ or

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