National Doctors’ Day, Dr Kishore Kumar, Founder Chairman & Neonatologist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru highlights three important issues that continue to have an impact on the Indian healthcare system
Today is July 1 and every year this day is observed as National Doctors’ Day in India to express gratitude and acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the doctors towards our society. The observance of the day honours legendary physician and West Bengal’s second Chief Minister, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy whose birth and death anniversary coincides on the same day. As I write this today, I want to highlight three important issues that continue to have an impact on the Indian healthcare system – Firstly, what’s behind violence against doctors in India? Where are our laws and why is there no protection ecosystem available? Secondly should our medical education system be nationalised as a first step towards the betterment of healthcare services. Thirdly, how can we ensure quality control and monitoring of our healthcare services, especially government services across rural and urban areas to ensure continued progress.
Violence against doctors
In recent years, India has witnessed a distressing surge in violence against doctors, signaling a worrisome epidemic plaguing the healthcare system. Medical professionals, who dedicate their lives to saving lives and alleviating suffering, now find themselves on the receiving end of physical and verbal assaults. Several factors contribute to this disturbing phenomenon. Firstly, overcrowded hospitals and long waiting times create an environment fraught with frustration and impatience among patients and their families. This, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and resource constraints, fuels resentment towards doctors. Additionally, the lack of awareness and understanding about medical procedures, outcomes, and limitations further contributes to the frustration that sometimes boils over into violence. The consequences of such violence are detrimental to the progress of our society as it discourages aspiring students from pursuing careers in medicine, exacerbating the existing shortage of doctors in the country. The erosion of trust between doctors and patients also hinders the doctor-patient relationship, impeding effective healthcare delivery. We need preventive measures but besides that legal and policy interventions are crucial to address these issues. Strict legislation should be enacted and implemented to criminalise attacks on medical professionals, with swift and fair legal proceedings to ensure justice. The implementation of dedicated fast-track courts to handle such cases would expedite justice. It is equally important for the government and healthcare institutions to foster a culture of respect and appreciation for doctors’ work. Recognising their efforts and addressing their concerns can help restore trust and encourage harmony within the healthcare system.
Medical education
The nationalisation of medical education in India has been a topic of ongoing debate and discussion. India needs to standardise and regulate medical education across the country, ensuring uniformity in curriculum, admission processes, and quality of healthcare professionals. The need for nationalisation stems from the existing disparities in medical education across different states and institutions. Variations in curriculum, standards, and the accreditation process have led to inconsistencies in the quality of medical professionals produced. Nationalisation of medical education offers several potential benefits. Firstly, it ensures a uniform curriculum and syllabus, enabling medical graduates to have a consistent level of knowledge and competency across the country. Standardisation also facilitates the mobility of doctors, allowing them to practice anywhere in India without facing hurdles related to variations in educational qualifications. Moreover, nationalisation can enhance the quality of education through robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, fostering the development of competent and ethical healthcare professionals. It can also promote research and innovation in medical sciences by establishing national research institutes and collaborations. It is important there is coordination and cooperation among the central and state governments, as medical education falls under concurrent jurisdiction. Streamlining this coordination is essential to ensure smooth implementation. The government can establish an apex body, such as the National Medical Commission, responsible for setting standards, formulating policies, and monitoring medical education across the country. This body should have representation from all stakeholders, including government officials, medical professionals, and experts from diverse fields. A comprehensive roadmap should be developed to ensure smooth transition and provide sufficient time for institutions to align with the nationalised system. Adequate financial resources should be allocated to upgrade infrastructure, enhance faculty capacity, and establish research facilities.
Monitoring our healthcare
Monitoring the healthcare system is crucial for ensuring its effectiveness, efficiency, and overall quality of care. One of the primary reasons for monitoring the healthcare system is to ensure quality assurance. By continuously monitoring and evaluating healthcare practices, processes, and outcomes, we can identify areas in need of improvement and take corrective actions. Patient safety is a critical aspect that necessitates monitoring. Monitoring helps identify and address medical errors, adverse events, and patient complaints. By tracking and analyzing such incidents, healthcare organisations can identify patterns and root causes, implement preventive measures, and improve safety protocols. This ongoing monitoring helps create a culture of safety, reducing the likelihood of errors and adverse events, and ensuring the well-being of patients.
Monitoring the healthcare system also enables the assessment of resource allocation. It allows us to evaluate the availability and distribution of healthcare facilities, medical equipment, medications, and healthcare personnel. By monitoring resource allocation, we can identify areas where there may be inequities or deficiencies in access to healthcare services. This information helps policymakers and healthcare administrators make informed decisions regarding resource allocation, ensuring that resources are distributed optimally and efficiently to meet the needs of the population.
Cost-effectiveness is another crucial aspect of healthcare system monitoring. By evaluating the cost-effectiveness of various healthcare interventions, treatments, and programs, we can assess their value and impact.
Bottomline
In the face of unprecedented challenges and uncertainties, our doctors have been at the forefront, selflessly putting themselves at risk to protect and heal others. Protecting our doctors should be the prime responsibility which will in turn help in ensuring continuity of healthcare delivery and at the same time sustaining the healthcare workforce, preservation of trust in the medical profession, recruitment and retention of doctors, the promotion of a culture of respect, and ultimately, for enhancing patient care and outcomes. Safeguarding the well-being of doctors is not only a moral imperative but also crucial for the overall health and well-being of society.