I am always afraid of doctors other than ones I visit regularly in my hometown. But having got (almost) settled in Bangalore, I had to find some doctors here too. I some how landed with this dentist.
The dentist would be around 35 and he claims that he is member of American dental association (It could be true too). He has 2 good looking lady assistants [;)] and they call the dentist as 'The Chief Doctor!' They always smile (extra smile while looking at me [;)]).
Don't know why but there was a cosmetic effect in that clinic. Was not appearing like a typical clinic. Or may be, the 'not so clean' clinic and simply looking doctors at my place made me feel this one as cosmetic.
Even before finding fault with the dentist, I have to accept that I was given a good treatment and my root canal problem got solved (may be at a higher cost). I am going to tell about another patient.
When I was having treatment, a lady (around 30) with lip-stick (I should say this), layers of make-up and really slow walk sat in the adjacent seat. Obviously, the Chief stopped my treatment in the middle and went to that seat [:P]
I had no other go than to overhear what that lady is telling to the dentist [;)]
Now lets see the conversation. I will call that lady as 'Beauty' just to add glamor to this post[;)]
Dentist: Tell madam. Whats your problem?
Beauty: I had tooth pain for some time yesterday but never had pain after that. I am worried!
(Why worry? you should have been happy)
After closely inspecting the teeth, the doctor couldn't find any problem. But how can he miss the opportunity to make money?
Doctor: This is not a complete dental problem. But I won't say you don't have a dental problem completely.(Best way of confusing the patient)
Now the patient started giving clues...
Beauty: I actually had migraine problem
Doctor: Oh, then it could have been a migraine and dental problem occurring together. There are cases where tooth pain intrigues migraine (Full bluffing)
Beauty: My kid was not feeling well for past few weeks. I didn't have proper sleep
Doctor: Oh, then it is sleeplessness+ migraine+ dental problem... As I said earlier, this is not a complete dental problem. I have to say that one of your teeth is very long and it has to be removed. But you can do it later. (Creating an opportunity for future business). Anyways, I will cure this problem now.
He prescribed a toothpaste, a toothbrush, mouthwash and some vitamin tablets (Should I explain more about the links he might have with the pharma companies producing those items). He collected a consultation charge of Rs. 500/- The lady was happy
The doctor was very happy that he made business out of nothing. Suddenly he got reminded of me and started back the drilling work.
May be, the lady has lot of money and loads of fear that she came to doctor for no reason. The doctor behaved like yet another business man and used the opportunity.
Now arises all these questions from a lay-man like me.
Where are those doctors who don't prescribe medicines unnecessarily (even if they prescribe, the medicine cost will be not more than Rs. 30/-)?
Where are those doctors who give sample medicines (which they get from medical reps) free of cost to poor patients?
Where are those doctors who don't ask for all the test reports (blood, urine, motion, saliva, sweat... hooof..did i leave anything?) and that too tested only from place they recommend (for what else other than getting commission)
I won't generalise this for the entire doctor community. Still there are genuine doctors. But it is unfortunate that they are becoming fewer and fewer.
Public! It is time we all have to be very careful with them. Medicine is not a (real) service industry any more and many doctors don't deserve a 'God' status any more. They have opened the shop and now it is all left with us not to get cheated. Pure business!
I have been so far speaking about doctors who got graduation. There are group of fake ones who look and speak like professional doctors.
The list of complaints go on... I hear voices from all sides. Karthik, you forgot to mention about the Kidney theft. Hey Karthik, what about medicine tests on poor people causing long term non-curable diseases?.......
Man, I am getting frightened as I dig more and more.
Beware of doctors!
8 comments:
what you ppl think of yourself.
u could do business in each and everything and we doctors should do service to u ppl eh.
why cant an software engineer do service........ why cant he work for free............. why dont u work for free man.
doctors are not born or made to do service
we too want to live comfortably , luxuriously like anyone else.
we are not cursed with our profession.
we struggle a lot in our life then u craps.............. right from our studies till we establish our setup.
u guys ll study in a nut crap eng coll , get recruited in a MNC earning both handfull , enjooyin at pubs and with babes . expecting us to do service huh!
first stop this non-sense k.........
if we are not here , u ppl should go to hell .
we demand respect and have every right to earn them.not like u couch-potatoes .
dont ever dare to write bad abt a doc hereafter , and mind ur business.
if u hate docs , then repair ur teeth yourself. who cares????
- doc welfare association.
@Mr.Anonymous
//we doctors should do service to u ppl eh//
Oh man (or woman?), knowingly or unknowingly, you have admitted that you are not doing service.
I admit and all IT professional will admit that we are not doing free service and what we are doing business.
But the problem is that we ppl are thinking medical profession as a service. But you cleared and added support to my post. Thanks a lot :)
You are not different from us any more.
//if we are not here , u ppl should go to hell//
Having told that you are not doing service, y this statement? You are getting (whole lot of) money and you are bound to do treatment. Shall we also tell that if we had not written software for an airplane properly, you would have gone to hell? You lost your sense in anger :)
//if u hate docs , then repair ur teeth yourself//
I can cut my hair on my own, yet I go to a barber. We people take care of our prosperity and also for nation's prosperity. We don't let any business (hair cutting or medicine) to die.
//doc welfare association//
You are super comedian :)
@Anonymous Who rattled your cage? and why this unprofessional-stupid response, the way your ranted doesn't show that you are a Doctor. I hope your patients are well after your treatment and everything what my friend wrote suits you perfectly. Get a life man/woman.
@Karthik Did the Dentist who gave treatment to you saw this, you should give this link and get away from him.
@Krishna
My case has become like 'puli vaala pudicha kadhai'....
He is draining my pocket in installments. Think, I have lot of poorva jenma kadan for that dentist.
That businessman won't leave me till he buys a house out of me fees (lil exaggeration) [;)]
@Karthik...ur post holds right only for a part of the doctors society..wat u ve mentioned dat the doctors who do service are becomin fewer n fwr is not right, karthik..may b in the city side docs cud b lik dat...cud b b'cos greedy ones get into the city or they get greedy after comin 2 d city...but in the relatively under developed areas, I cud see oly 2 or 3 such ppl...wit the world turnin into a business centre wit everyone b'comin greedy n selfish, u cannot blame d doctors...afterall they too r human beings...anyways ur blog really holds gud, as i already mentioned, for a part o d doc community since I ve experienced it wit my own eyes..
@Anonymous...Whether u accept it or not, V re here 2 serve the ppl...dat s wat V wear a white coat for...not that u shud do everythin 4 free..collect a reasonable fee n order investigations which are really necessary..It wd b more dan enuf...Already d docs are losin their Image among ppl...U visitin a social website and blastin out lik dis s totally absurd...If u wanna express ur anger and u really think it s sensible, Y do u conceal ur identity? If u establish a gud practice or join a gud medical college, u'll definitly be comfortable in life..jus remember one thing u can earn till d end of ur life...Do sum meditation if u can... n remember one more thing, Doctors shud ve both patients and patience...
Most docs are not like that is what Dr. Subhashini is saying.
Let us believe that and also hope that number of good doesn't come down..
@Mr.Anonymous
Some one from your doc welfare association itself not agreeing with you. I am sad that you are helpless [;)]
Mr.Karthik,
i do agree there are few docs who do this!but its not jus coz of business mind, but coz the patients irritate the crap out of them! lemme tell where the other breed disappeared!
patient 1 comes with a simple common cold, i explain him that its jus a viral one n would need jus rest, hot fluids, n rest!u think he agreed... he'd say, prescribe me an antibiotic dr!worse they'd order us wat to write in the prescription, dr give me azithro!
patient 2 comes with diarrhea of 1 day,i get the entire history, examine n find nothing really serious,tell him its too premature to get investigations done, n ask him to drink plenty of water and electrolytes.... u think he listened? he demands a set of blood investigations! his idea of visiting the doctor is to get investigations done! that's it! most of them are under the illusion that investigations cure! not the pills!
patient 3 comes with headache of 2 days..... i figure out that its coz of the lack of sleep n advice sleep, or figure out its due to sinusitis n prescribe appropriate medicines, u think he would agree! he'd pester me to write a ct! i try to talk him out of it, saying its really not needed, atleast at this time point, he picks up a fight saying, "its ok!its after all 2000 rupees,doctor, but i'd be happy to get a report saying there is nothing with me!" (god know why needs all the radiation exposure with to get the black n white ct sheets,wen all he needs is the report sheet "within normal limits").the radiologist and the lab people are the only ones , a patient trusts!
i advice the diabetics and hypertensives proper diet n exercise, they think i'm cruel....they trust the small pills than the healing power in them!they don trust themselves, where will they trust a doc!
i advice life style modifications to d obese, they think i'm insensitive.....they think i'm biased towards them jus coz they are fat! they are deluded thinking they are just a little over weight. they happily argue that junk food s all they are provided by their mnc firms, n thanks to their long work hrs, they have not a minute left to even walk down the stairs, leave alone exercise!
i could survive even all of these...but then came a generation of internet-magazine read, "correspondence-half doctors"... who argue for half an hour saying that sun burn on the cheek is "systemic lupus erythematosis" or the simple conjunctivitis of their eye is "vogt-koyanagi-harada's disease" coz that's what the internet says, wen a real person with heart-attack who is blissfully is imagining that its jus gastritis, is waiting for the next appointment....
its not jus me, this happens to all the doctors who tell them the truth! patients want to go to quacks who have no idea what the patient s suffering from, but talk pleasing pleasing,do all the investigations possible, n prescribe all the medications possible in the hope that at least one would cure & charge them a hefty!wow, the patient gets cured coz its after all a common cold, or a stress headache, which would have itself remitted without the investigations or the doc or the pills.... bingo, this dr with honey coated tongue has cured the patient!
the patients irritate the docs so much that they turn into docs u described, come on, its not business, its survival... do u think a truthful doctor can even earn his bread these days?
u made a doc get rid of his guilt, DO ALL THAT U WANT,mint money n live happily ever after...
or live with guilt,DO ALL THAT U WANT,mint money , live miserably....
should he stick to his morals,DON DO ALL THAT U WANT, TELLS THAT ITS NOT NEEDED, PRESCRIBE JUS WAT'S NEEDED,earn a reputation of a bad doctor N LIVE a life IN POVERTY?
I'm happy, i realized that i cannot be all the three... lucky i shifted to non-clinical!
@Dr. Suneetha
I think, you are referring to a group of patients (probably 2-5%)living in big cities.
Your reply is perfectly valid for such cases.
When you come to town and villages, people just believe and follow whatever doctors say.
My all worries are that the city exploitation should not get spread to town and villages
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