JULY 1: It's Doctor's Day today
Author(s): Harish Monga DidoMedical Insurance Claim facility has made the profession commercial Doctor’s Day is observed in the memory of legendary Dr. B. C. Ray who was born on 1 July 1882 and passed away on the same date in 1962. Dr....
Medical Insurance Claim facility has made the profession commercial
Doctor’s Day is observed in the memory of legendary Dr. B. C. Ray who was born on 1 July 1882 and passed away on the same date in 1962. Dr. Ray is seen as a role model since he was not only an outstanding physician but also a freedom fighter. He was a leader of Indian National Congress and later became chief minister of West Bengal but continued his practice also. At many places, the day is observed to give rich tributes to Dr. Ray and all doctors are urged to live by his professionalism and idealism. The day is basically meant to develop good relation with the doctors and their families by paying respect and gratitude to them.
In India too, the Doctor's Day is being observed today to show special gratitude to doctors for their noble work as well as remind them the ethical dimension of the profession. Besides this, Doctor's Day is a real opportunity to understand the importance of good relations between doctors and patients.
This observance fulfills a need to show the doctors and physicians in our lives how important they are to us and how invaluable their treatments are that cure us. The celebrations are indicative of the respect that they command in the lives of their patients and thus obligate them to fulfill their responsibilities as well.
There may be several reasons that can be attributed to the significance of a Doctor’s day being celebrated in India. The large population of India depends on the efficiency and responsibility of doctors to a large extent at all times Doctors in India over the years have shown remarkable improvements and made definite progress in medical treatments that need to be acknowledged• There have been instances of public violence and protests against doctors when they have failed to perform. Doctor’s Day could be seen as an approach by the same people as a mark of respect for all those doctors who have relentlessly made efforts to sustain the life of their patients against all odds
The first Doctors Day observance was March 30, 1933 in Winder, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, decided to set aside a day to honour physicians. This first observance included the mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctors Day.
Whether or not the day is observed by common people, but the idea has caught up at the organisational level in medical institutes, medical associations, hospitals, nursing homes etc. Some organisations hold free health checkups and health awareness programmes, blood donation camps, etc.
There is a need for doctors to redeem their profession due to lack of commitment to service aspect of their work and falling professional standards. Of late, there have been instances and incidences of public violence and protests against some doctors when they have failed to perform ethically and humanely. Doctor’s Day could be seen as a day to recover respect by doctors by reaffirming their commitment to make relentless efforts to sustain the life of their patients against all odds and get service-oriented.
Worried by dying professionalism and increasing greed, Arthur Schopenhauer had once remarked, "The doctor sees all the weakness of mankind; the lawyer all the wickedness, the theologian all the stupidity." Whereas Dr. Ray subscribed to the words of Martin H. Fischer, who had said, "A doctor must work eighteen hours a day and seven days a week. If you cannot console yourself to this, get out of the profession.
Whatever may be virtue of the profession of a doctor, expecting patients but taking a pledge at the time of awarding a degree of profession, he puts his all-out efforts to provide treatment for speedy recovery of his patient. But with the passage of time, due to certain reasons like full insurance medical insurance has put a big question mark, not over the treatment being given by the doctor, but making the clinics and hospitals as commercial houses.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of City Air News.)