avi
Level J
These 3 letters are being circulated lot by angry doctors :
#1
#2
#3
---------- Post added at 02:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 AM ----------
I almost ROFLed :rofl:
#1
Dear Mr. Aamir Khan,
“NOT ALL DOCTORS ARE GREEDYâ€
“THERE IS NO PROFESSION THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CLEANâ€
“DOCTORS ARE OBLIGED TO SERVE BY CHOICE, NOT BY COMPULSIONâ€
Sir,
I have been a big fan or your work, life and principles. I am also a fan of ‘Satyamev Jayate’. But I was shocked to see the episode on 27th May, 2012. You are an Icon. You should have thought well and done the homework before doing such a biased show. There are only two people in the film industry that are being taken seriously by the thinking class of society, You and Amitabh Bacchhan. So, when you give such a biased and one sided version of a story, it hurts. Speaking about such a thing on a “commercial†TV show is bad. (I am sure you have taken a big amount, only doctor are supposed to do charity and social work, not actors!!! Right!)
I want to highlight few important points here. And yes I am qualified to make observations as I am a medical student.
1.Your guests and audience (the words were almost put in their mouth) said that private colleges charge a capitation fee of 40 – 50 Lacs for MBBS, you should have also produced some evidence of such practice. Like you call a victim in all your episodes, why not here? And do the same story Engineering, Architecture, Law and MBA colleges, do you think they are clean? Why target doctors alone?
2. You said Since 2001, government opened 31 medical colleges and 106 private institutes were opened. – Please note that today in India, there are a total of 181 Private and 152 Govt Medical colleges. So the number is not as bad s you projected. Don’t project only the time period which suits your story. Either give a complete picture or do not give a picture at all!
And also, please find out how many of these private colleges are owned by politicians? 95% of Private colleges in India are owned and run by politicians. It is a bloody nexus between politicians and MCI. The corruption by politicians is to blamed for the mess, not doctors!!!
3.One of your guest (Dr. Gulhati) said that doctors ask for 30% commission from Pharma companies to write their drugs. That is baseless, over-the-roof and sensationalizing the matter. That is as true as “Most Leading actors ask newcomers to sleep with them†or “Lawyers take money from both the sides in a legal battle†or “Most chartered accountants teach their clients how to save tax and also pass info to taxman on where his client saved taxâ€. I know all of you will shout “Where is the proof?â€. So are doctors!!!
I am not trying to sensationalize things as you did on your show by shading those fake tears, but just trying to project that allegations are easy to make. I know you will say that this was the opinion of our guest, and not yours. But you provided a platform for these fake allegations.
4. You compared the numbers of Licenses cancelled in England and in India. I must say your team is quite resourceful and please collect and compare following details also –
a.Number of doctors beaten on duty by goons from various political outfits in government hospitals in UK and India in last 10 years, and also the number of people convicted for such crime.
b.The Stipend (Salary a post-graduate trainee doctor/intern gets) or Salary and accommodation facilities provided to the doctors of the two countries.
c.The duty hours and working conditions of the doctors of the two countries.
d.The academic and research infrastructure being provided to the medical students.
5. You said that the most brilliant students who take up medicine, should take it only for service to mankind, they should go to other fields if they want to earn. Why? Are we living in imperialism? Are doctors not allowed to earn and spend a good life? You were asking Dr. Devi Shetty whether he can do humanitarian work and Earn at same time? This is like asking Amirkhan or Shahrukh-khan their income and generalizing it for every actor in the industry (Even junior artists). Sir, just as there are only few Khans and Kapoors, There are even fewer Devi Shetty and Naresh Trehan who run their chain of Multi-specialty hospitals spread all over the country. See what it takes to become a doctor and then give such “Geeta-Gyanâ€.
a. 5 and half year of MBBS training and 1 more year of Compulsory Rural Internship at Rs. 15000 - 20000 per month. (Any other field eg. Engineering, Management, a person would become Postgraduate in this much time and start earning double the amount.)
If one doesn’t study further, the pay at this step is 22,000 per month.
b. After above 6 and half years of Graduation, 3 more years of Postgraduation, followed again by compulsory rural / Government job for 1 year or pay Rs. 25Lac bond.
If one doesn’t study further, the pay at this step is 40,000 per month.
c. After this above 10 and half years, 3 more years of Superspeciality, followed by 1 year of Govt job or a Bond of Rs. 2 Crore.
And the seats are so few with tough competition, there tends to be a gap of a year or two in preparing for various entrance exams.
6.Why only Doctors are being forced to work in rural and government hospitals after their study? Why only we should pay government if we don’t want to do it?
The rural/Govt sector needs help of Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants and MBAs also.
Why aren’t the Engineers sent to rural areas to design and monitor roads and industrials development?
Why aren’t the Lawyers forced to work as Public prosecutors before they can join some big foreign corporate firm?
Why aren’t the CAs asked to work in CAG office and various other government financial sectors before joining Multinational Giants?
Now government wants that doctors should not immigrate to other countries without asking them. Why? Are the IIT/IIM students stopped before they flee to foreign countries for big fat salaries? So, why us? What is it that government of society has done for doctors that they should repay? They bloody can’t even protect them from goons while on duty.
7.You say that doctors are writing unnecessary and costly medications. Do we decide the price of a drug? Do we manufacture or give license to drug manufacturers? Controlling the price of essential drugs is a government job. We are helpless.
Sir, its easy to point fingers. We don’t say that all is well. But all is not well anywhere. Its a different thing creating awareness about dowry or female feticide. But its entirely different to comment on such a technical and complicated issue without getting into the details of it.
You have maligned the entire medical fraternity. For every 10 doctors who are doing wrong, there are more than 1000 healers. You owe us an apology!!! This issue is not as simple as you think it is! Please show stories which are unbiased and straight-forward. You cannot do justice to such an issue, especially after charging a whooping amount for creating awareness!!!
(We hear that Amir has charged 3 crores for episode of Satyamev Jayate in which he spreads the message to doctors that they should not make money and do social service!!! How sacred!!! I don’t know if its true, but well, it’s the season of allegations!)
“We Doctors may be doing little social service, But at least we are not charging for it!â€
- Doctor
#2
We, The Condemned.
Dear Aamir Khan,
I saw your show on the status of medical healthcare in India today. It highlighted to society the concern that it should have about the healthcare that it receives at the hands of brutally dishonest and unethical doctors a.k.a ‘maut ke saudaagar’.
I understand that there are sections of the medical fraternity that behave in ways that do not bring glory to the profession. I understand that your aim in this episode, and on the show, as a whole, is to make society aware of the issues that plague India, and help it to move towards a better place.
I also understand that you may have, unfortunately, done the exact opposite, at least with this episode. I’ll tell you why.
You started the show with the story of a diabetic losing his toe.(You did not tell us that he is diabetic, but the footwear he was wearing hinted at that.) This gentleman was retrospectively told about the possibility of medical management of his toe infection. I will present to you a
few statistics about diabetic foot disease (yes, Indian doctors also are aware of research methodology, like your famed “research†team). The foot ulcer incidence rates range between 2% and 10% among patients with diabetes mellitus. The age adjusted annual incidence for non traumatic lower limb amputations in diabetic persons ranges from 2.1 to 13.7 per 1000 persons (as per a study published in the Journal of American College of Surgeons in 1996). India has approximately 50.8 diabetic patients, according to the world diabetes foundation. Assuming that Indian doctors are competent enough to treat diabetes as well as their counterparts in the US, (where, presumably, you will be going
for your medical treatment, as you proudly proclaimed that you will not undergo any medical treatment in India) that translates to about 5 million Indians having a chance of developing a foot ulcer, and about 500 thousand Indians needing lower limb amputation. Each of those 5 million people who develop the foot ulcer, will remember your episode, and will opt for medical treatment, which, if it fails to work (which it will, Mr. Khan, in a more than a few cases), will convert a toe amputation into a below knee or above knee amputation, or even death, depending upon how long the patient chooses to be on medical therapy.
You have just condemned 5 million Indians to uncertainty, loss of limb more than what would have been, or even death.
Next, there was a chat about “unnecessary†Kidney transplants. Here are a few facts, Aamir. In the United States, the general hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis populations have 2 hospital admissions per patient per year; patients who have a renal transplant have an average of 1 hospital admission per year. Additionally, patients with ESRD( End Stage Renal Disease) who undergo renal transplantation survive longer than those on chronic dialysis. The mortality rates associated with hemodialysis are striking and indicate that the life expectancy of patients entering into hemodialysis is markedly shortened. In 2003, over 69,000 dialysis patients enrolled in the ESRD program died (annual adjusted mortality rate of 210.7 per 1000 patient-years at risk for the dialysis population, which represents a 14% decrease since peaking at 244.5 per 1000 patient-years in 1988). The highest mortality rate is within the first 6 months of initiating dialysis. Mortality then tends to improve over the next 6 months, before increasing gradually over the next 4 years. The 5-year survival rate for a patient undergoing chronic dialysis in
the United States is approximately 35%, and approximately 25% in patients with diabetes. Though there are no nationwide records to calculate the incidence of ESRD in India, a population based study done in Bhopal showed the average annual crude and age-adjusted
incidence rates for the period were 151 and 229 per million population, respectively. Extrapolating this data to the population of India, we have 200 thousand Indians with ESRD. Again, if you are willing to believe that Indian doctors are as competent as their western counterparts, only 25 percent of these will live beyond 5 years without a transplant.
You have just condemned 150 thousand Indians to uncertainty, indignity and death.
Next, you spoke about doctors asking for “unnecessary†tests, and even went to the extent of describing a “basin†test in jest. In doing so, you condemned every clinical practitioner in the country to a lifetime of uncertainty about how his patients will react to his demand for justified investigations which will undoubtedly save the patient’s life.
You spoke about doctors buying medical degrees for 40-50 lakh rupees. Here are some figures for you. In 2011, 2,21,867 students appeared for an entrance examination into medicine called the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT). They were competing for 1887 medical seats in government colleges. After listening to your show, every doctor who has worked tirelessly and endlessly to get into the profession, and inspite of ALL odds, qualify as a doctor, will be viewed with suspicion by his society, as someone who may have “bought†his degree.
You have condemned me, and thousands, perhaps lakhs of young and upcoming doctors like me, who struggled among 2,21,867 people to get those 1887 seats, to a lifetime of suspicion and ignominy.
You then went on to chat with a gentleman from Wales about how he had to flee India due to rampant malpractice. In doing so, you have encouraged thousands of young Indian minds into falsely believing that the west is the destination where they will have a clean, ethical and well paying job. You have just doubled the brain-drain single handedly, Mr. Khan. And you have condemned every Indian to losing the
best minds they could have had treating them in India.
I could go on with this dissection of your well researched show Aamir, but I just want to end this letter with a story. There is a man, who was educated in rural India, came to a city with next to nothing, practiced as an honest doctor there for 30 odd years, refused to give or accept commissions or cuts, stayed simple, worked hard, gave his family a decent life.
Today, you have condemned him to being seen as a criminal in the eyes of the same people he served.
Regards,
The Condemned.
#3
A letter to an Ignorant Perfectionist
Dear Mr.Aamir Khan,
I have been trying hard but cannot get over the fact that you can 'sell' ignorance with such ease and honour. Though I agree to 'parts' of your show , Lets first get the facts right.
1) You said patients on dialysis live upto 15-20 years.
Fact - The 5 year survival rate of patients on dialysis is about 25-30 % ( less than many
cancers). Renal transplant remains the best available treatment option for chronic kidney disease. (I hope you take responsibility for people who after watching your show plan to not go for kidney transplant and die in less than 5 years)
2) An overenthusiastic girl from the audience said that her father was forced for an emergency liver transplant '6-7 years' ago for
gastroenteritis.
Fact- Even today there are ' a handful' of hospitals in India offering liver transplants. To think that 6-7 years ago , just a gastroenteritis patient was offered liver transplant is not only improbable but technically impossible.
3) A diabetic patient blamed a doctor for losing a toe.
Fact- Lacs of diabetic patients per year lose entire limbs due to diabetic foot ( cellulitis and gangrene) . Doctors go about stepwise cutting off toes , then foot , even the leg upto above knee level in order to save as much limb as possible. The patient in your show might still be able to walk just because of the timely action taken by the surgeon.
Mr. Aamir Khan i am not getting back at you because i took your show personally. Yes , I agree that there are doctors indulging in shameful malpractices and even i know a few of them. But i can proudly say i am surrounded by more doctors who work day and night just to ensure that their patients get the best possible treatment..The' BAD' doctors should be punished and we all can come together to ensure we do not encourage such malpractices.
Secondly i would have appreciated if you would have thrown some light on the entrance examinations and the hard work , dedication and sacrifices a doctor needs to clear his MBBS, MD, DM etc examinations. I wish you had spent half a day in the emergency department and OPD of a Govt. Hospital and realised that the work timings, working conditions, lunch breaks, doctor : patient ratio, hours of sleep per week , living conditions in the hostel and the stipend is worse than a class 4 labourer. You would have also surprisingly realised that the 'DOCTORS' are the only 'FUNCTIONAL' part of a Govt. Hospital which still caters to thousands of patients in a day. When you compared statistics of U.K and India , why didnt you include the salaries, living standards and the doctor: patient ratio the doctors have in developed countries.
Coming to generic drugs, Yes, a large amount of rural population should have access to cheap generic drugs. But one should not forget the
pharma companies that charge more for the drugs are the ones that spend crores of rupees for research and development of new drugs. Had there not been drug trials no new drugs would have been invented and we would have mortality rates compared to stone age.
Also i agree thatmost doctors endorse certain brands of drugs( which i do not deny may be for some financial gains also ) because thay have faith in the quality of the 'active drug' of certain companies. Yes many local companies manufacture generic products ( which is a copy of the original molecule discovered by the expensive company which can be used for unaffordable patients. But you did not mention that
many of these generic drugs are of substandard quality and are the reason of many uncalled for deaths due to drug reactions. Most doctors would not want to take responsibilty of the quality of the 'generic' drugs.
Lastly, What do you mean when you say ' People of high IQ and desire to earn money should not become doctors'.
Why arent doctors allowed to have an ambition ?? How can a person who earns 4 crores for an episode of a so called 'social' show decide on what should be an individual's ambition and financial staus !! Why can there be no doctors who earn well for their professional skills and do not indulge in malpractices ?!
It just reflects your hypocrisy. I would like to offer a few solutions to the problem.
a) ' BAD' doctors indulging in malpractices should be suspended for life. We need a strong regulatory authority to publish expected treatment 'protocols' and punish doctors found to be doing unethical practices.
b) Regulatory authorities should also keep a check on the quality of drugs being manufactured and at the same time 'sold' at the local chemist.
c) Govt. medical colleges and hospitals should multiply several folds, increasing the number of doctors in each department , improving the doctor: patient ratio. Doctor's salaries and living conditions should be looked after and should be comparable to other professionals.
d) Regular CME'S and licensing exams ( like other countries) every 5-10 years.
e) The Govt. should spend 6-8% of GDP ON HEALTHCARE and a part of which should also be committed to the research and development of newer drugs.
f) No politician should be allowed to be associated with any private medical colleges.
g) The general public should be educated well about common diseases and the 'acceptable' qualifications of the doctors.
These are just a few points i can think of at the moment. I am sure had you bothered to have a panel discussion and find solutions in a healthy way, We could come up with a lot more viable solutions.
However you chose to sensationalise your show, by hiring 'few' people with 'fake' or 'amplified' problems and shed a few tears.
Hope you understand that Your allegations like 'HAMARE DESH KE DOCTORS ITNE BIMAAR KYUN HAIN' and 'MAUT KE SAUDAGAR' are as serious as calling all actors 'Rapists' ( after the shiney ahuja incident ) and all Muslims 'Terrorists' . Knowing that you twisted not one but not many known medical 'facts' to strike a chord with the 'ignorant' 'naive' audience, How do you expect me to have faith in you and the
stories you would project in the upcoming shows. You have betrayed a large segment of the 'classes' as well as 'masses'.
All i can say is i feel sad for the death of the 'image' you created in our minds and hearts. An unbiased Aamir who strives for nothing but the
truth and the betterment of the society was after all a MYTH.
Condolences,
An honest Doctor.
---------- Post added at 02:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 AM ----------
I almost ROFLed :rofl:
