DOCTORS VS AAMIR KHAN Letter no.3

3rd LETTER - DOCTORS VS AAMIR KHAN Letter no.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 that most doctors endorse certain brands of drugs ( which i do not deny may be for s ome 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.