Padma Vibhushan Dr. Purshotam Lal Speaks About Attacks on Doctors
ASHISH KEDIA , TEN NEWS
Ten News Spoke exclusively spoke to Padma Vibhushan Dr. Purshotam Lal, one of India’s most renowned Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Metro Group of Hospitals, Noida. Dr. Purshotam Lal has also been in governing councils of medical boards and is in forefront of making several reforms in the field of interventional cardiology.
TN: What are your views on recent agitation by doctor’s and attacks on hospital?
Dr.PL: It is a very sad situation when a doctor who people used to treat as God 2-3 decades back are now being harassed by people for no good reason. There are high risk procedures as well and not every procedure can be successful. Now if I get a patient where I already know that there is a very high probability of losing the patient on the table. However the fact is if I don’t even try there is no probability but a certainty of the individual not surviving. So as a doctor I will take a chance and try my best to save the patient.
I have practiced in multiple countries including US, Germany etc. but these kinds of things don’t happen there. The atmosphere has changed a lot in India. The problem is with doctors as well. Doctors don’t explain the family in detail. They don’t get involved with attendants of critical patients as much as they should be. I have been in committee of Delhi Medical Council, Board of Governing Medical Council of India and what I have noticed is that majority of our cases which are even in the consumer court are because of lack of communication and same is true when such agitation start the communication gap has a big role to play in it. Having said this, I completely believe that violence of any kind with doctors is extremely wrong. If it continues no doctor might touch a high risk patient. Why would he do that? So the government should come up with strict rules. There is no other option but to completely ban such incidents of attacks on doctors. If there is negligence from the doctor’s side, there are lawful means. Consumer courts should also improve. We can also learn from models adopted by several other countries in this regard. The trust between doctor, patient and patient’s attendant is of utmost importance and it should be valued. Nothing else can work. Doctors should be completely free of any tension while operation. Hence all violence should be banned with immediate effect.
