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Vol. XXXIV No. 15, November 16-30, 2024
A blot on the medical capital
– by Sriram V.
The recent episode in Chennai where the son of a cancer patient stabbed a doctor repeatedly just because he felt the treatment was not proper has exposed the risks that the medical fraternity faces on a routine basis. That this should have happened in our city which historically has been a centre for medicine and is indeed considered one of the medical capitals of the world is doubly shocking. It is a blot on Chennai’s face that the city and its administration will do well to ponder over and come up with corrective measures.
The incident in question happened at the Government-run Super Speciality Hospital in Guindy. The patient was in a critical condition and her son felt the treatment was responsible for it. He entered into an argument with the doctor and in a fit of rage whipped out a knife and stabbed the latter several times in the neck. The victim was himself suffering from medical conditions which aggravated his injuries, and he was admitted in a critical state at the same hospital’s ICU. The assailant has been arrested.
With that the law will take its own course. But what has happened is an indication of a deeper malaise- of increasing violence in the public sphere and a belief among youth in general in instant ‘justice’, with no thought as to the consequences. This is a direct outcome of the cinema craze that Chennai seems to revel in and films that extol heroes taking the law unto themselves and settling scores. If it were all so easy, then why do we need a due process of law with all its systems and machinery?
It is also high time that hospitals began counselling patients and more importantly, attendants of patients that medical treatment is not like fixing a malfunctioning piece of machinery. The human body is complicated and while medical science has advanced, there is still a lot that can happen which may seem inexplicable. Therefore to hold a doctor responsible, without proof and just based on emotional conjecture, is not correct. The young man in question seems to have assumed that his mother was critical because of the doctor and decided to take revenge. This is not behaviour of civilised society.
The Chief Minister and the Health Minister put out tweets condemning the assault. The medical fraternity lodged its protest. But what is needed is for role models from various fields that appeal to youth – film and sports in particular, to condemn the happening and express solidarity with the doctors. That way, hot heads may cool down somewhat and think twice before attempting something like this again.
The practitioners of medicine, like those in the teaching profession, are out there in the open. Both have of late come in for a lot of hate which is unwarranted. Assaults on both have become commonplace across India but for Chennai this is a first. And the city has the most at stake given that it is numero uno when it comes to medical services.
If doctors are not given suitable assurances, if action is not palpable and if patients and their attendants are not counselled on the need for responsible behaviour, good quality doctors and paramedics may think twice about coming to the city. That in turn will have a domino effect – a fall in medical standards and therefore a decline in medical tourism. Chennai’s reputation as a medicare centre was not built overnight. It took centuries and yet, a reversal of that name and fame may not take very long especially with other centres developing fast. We need the healing touch, from the administration and those who inspire the youth.
