Beware of Doctors

I have been visiting a dentist at Bangalore regularly sine last week. I had a root canal treatment. I will be going there for some more days since I have few more repair works :)

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.

The clinic has a beauty parlor effect with 2 adjacent treatment seats. The Chief Doctor(!) will keep shifting between 2 seats and handle 2 patients at a time (parallel processing!)

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 say "You don't have any problem. Don't worry" and collect no fees?

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!

Holiday Special: Parents, don't forget your past!

I have been traveling a lot (approx 800kms per week) since last month. Traveling gives lot of thoughts and insights (but only problem, it doesn't give time to write!)

Last weekend, when I was at my hometown, I had to stay at my sister's home (of course, for escorting!) which is 4kms away from our house. I went to her house at 8:30PM. My sister's 2nd daughter Sriranjani (2.5 yrs) was watching a movie (Abhiyum Naaanum) from DVD player. I was tired and went to bed immediately.

Next day morning, I woke up only by 7AM. Sriranjani was seeing another movie (Poo) from the same DVD. I went to my home and then came back to my sister's house, that day evening for some other work. Again 'Poo'. I came to know that a round of Abhiyum Naanum-Poo-Abhiyum Naanum was over in the time between morning and evening.

This was crazy! I asked Sriranjani (in a polite manner), why she was seeing those movies repeatedly. She replied in her own way by putting some nail marks on my nose ;) Then I inquired about this to my sister (applying coconut oil on the marks) and told her that this was something crazy and unusual!

She gave a mild knock on my head ('kuttu' ku enna pa english la?) and asked me why I was seeing 'Thanga Padhakkam' and 'Gowravam' for months together when I was in my school days? Yeah I forgot my past!

It was the time Video cassettes were slowly losing existence but we had a functioning Video cassette player in our house. We know a person who was having a Video Cassette shop. He wanted to dispose some old movie cassettes and so gave us some 10 cassettes. 'Thanga Padhakkam' and 'Gowravam' were the 2 movies among the 10 (Vallavanukku vallavan, Paalum Pazhamum etc. were the other movies which I saw only once or twice)

I don't know why but just liked seeing those 2 movies in loop. This was happening for some months till I could tell the complete dialogue of both the movies. I will see at least 1 of the movies after returning from school and surely watch both on weekends. I don't remember why I stopped seeing those movies (may be I got bored and started doing some other crazy thing).

Kids, be it yesteryear or yesterday or today or tomorrow, do similar things (just in a different way like DVD player instead of Cassette player, cricket in hot sun instead of goli in hot sun, full day video games instead of full day ludo, the list goes on....)

Daughter lost her eraser at school. The advice+scolding lasted for more than a hour and now it became "how can I buy you scooty when you become older? You will loose that too" (Adangonnia!). My dear mother, you forgot that you ate '1 chalk/day' and was telling some lies to your mother for chalks getting over quickly.

Most important thing parents forget is the marks they got during their school days. Why is it that almost all kids don't have the guts to question their parents about the marks they scored? Where will most of the parents keep their face if their kids ask this question?

An auto driver was slapping his son outside his school in front of all for failing in a subject. "My father didn't make me study in a nice school and because of that I became an auto driver. I didn't want you to become like me and hence I am working hard to pay your fees in this big school but you are failing. Look at other kids....................................................". Stop. Stop. Mr. Auto driver, I respect your care and the hard work you put in making your son get a good education. One question. If I am not wrong, your father might have admitted you at least in the nearest govt. school. There are great personalities who have studied in govt school in remote villages. Why didn't you become one like them? Why did you stop going to school from 8th standard and learned to smoke even at the age of 14?

(Well, parents are going to kill me :P) I am not telling that parents should not keep a watch on their kids or advice them but just don't intervene them all-time. All of us have evolved over years. We have corrected ourselves over time. Give them that time. Don't pour all your 30-40 year experience on them. Show them the path but don't curb them (kadivaalam podaadheenga ndradha english la solla try panninen pa)



Remember, You have done everything when you were young! Don't forget your past!

Happy holidays, Kids! :)
 
Thinking of a sequel titled "Youth Special: Parents, don't forget your past!" . But I have to be even more harder. Keep watching this space! :)




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