Assaulting the harm less and the hard working. Morally, India has regressed beyond limits.

[sumeet_shah]

This is nothing related to cancer. I am sorry to deviate from the forum topic, but my heart has never pained more than it does today.

dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-...

Subtle points from above:

KEM Hospital ICU was full. No space.

Kid brought fairly late, already in shock. Given option to try elsewhere, but not willing to go.

There is no actual treatment for dengue, except to keep hydrating and help body come out of its own and pray.

All attempts to resuscitate were done.

Most Medical residents in KEM are working at stretch for 24 to 48 hours

And after that, people come and beat you up in a lethal manner!

I have a question for PKenn, since she stays in US; I want to know how people treat the doctors there:

Do the layman in United States beat up doctors with iron rods, especially, even after the doctors have performed their maximum possible duties, and much much more than can be ever expected from a human.

Do the lay man threaten doctors on gun point while doing post mortem (dead body of a person between two warring groups, one killed the other)

Does the US government sleep, when there is an assault on hard working doctors for a PROVEN fact that they were working and there was no negligence from their side

Do the lay man there beat up doctors; when those lay man brought a dead patient in the casualty and doctors declared that person dead (patient was already brought dead).

Do the political parties brutally destroy a hundred plus bedded hospital, one of the most equipped cardiac centre, just because their political head was shot brutally by someone and they brought him to that hospital in an almost dead condition and he did not survive

Pkenn, this all happens in India, even today. An engineer studies for 4 years, does 2 years MBA and look for packages of 50,000 to 1,00,000 dollars and above (annually). A doctor, like for example, me or Rohit, puts in 14 years of effort, extreme hard work, sleeps 5 hours a day in residency, works 18 to 20 hours at times, sleeps in rat infested room, half the medical life I have spent with no meals, sacrifices complete family life, and after those 14 years, start from scratch, and if I charge my consultation to be even ten to twelve dollars, many patients used to crib. It's not about money. It's about respect for work. Even today, I do breast cancer surgeries (for those who are not affording), under our NGO, The Pink Initiative, for Rs. 15000/- flat (including medicines, anesthetist charges etc; Rs.15000 is equivalent to some 250 dollars. Do you have a facility there to do a complete breast cnacer surgery package for 250 dollars (Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars)

There is a lot of corruption amongst doctors as well, mosre than half of it attributable to a reservation system in India and the remaining to politicians who have screwed up the system.

To everyone, I am sorry for this outburst, but reading the news today that three people beat up resident doctors, who were sincerely working overtime, and absolutely no fault of theirs; they beat them with iron rods and what not. Not a single minister in Mumbai has even addressed this or taken up.

And it's not only today. These assaults are so regular, every 15 days to one month, some doctors are assaulted. A doctor may definitely be wrong, and many many doctors and corporates are corrupt, no doubt. But don't physically assault them, please. Take legal action if you have to. In spite of knowing, that 99.99% of politicians are corrupt and have crores of black money in coffers (some ministers have 30,000 crores), do you all have the guts to assault them?

Like the way, every Indian and every journalist (and the honorable Aamir Khan as well) generalizes all doctors are bad, today even I felt the urge to generalize that all patients are same whatever you do for them, how much ever you go out of the way for them; how much ever you sacrifice your own things so that they do well and so that you do justice to them; I even felt an urge to close down this forum. That was in response to that brutal assault. I had tears in my eyes when I read all that. But of course, I am not like other Indians. I am a doctor, true to my oath, I wont generalize, I will never close down this forum, I will always keep doing charity and helping as much as I can, till the last breath I take. That's where the difference lies.

[Deval]

I understand your frustration Dr.Shah, I was trained in India, when I came here in 1999, I felt that system in America was perfect.Because everyone patient was taken care and everything what was done was up todate. One thing which is just my personal feeling or experience is doctors are more respected in India than here, when I saw my patients back home they had this trust and respect in their eye, some times in Usa yes they do respect you and off course nonviolence against doctors but here they are well informed and they have choices available so they treat doctors more like consultant. There are some patients here who actively look for things so they can sue their doctors.and some treat their doctors like a God.

The problem in our country is that violence and disrespect is taught from childhood, like when a chai wala boy doesn't bring chai or nasta how many times we hear those disrespectful words, or how many times we have seen a poor person gets beaten for a small mistake. And our politicians think they are above the law.

But I believe may be have 20% bad but 80% is good, we have order in our chaios. And most importantly we have people like you who is making changes, one step at a time. I really really respect and admire what you have started,. You have given hope and guidance to so many of us.

[roxboxfox RadiationOncologist]

Read this article as well this morning, and was disgusted as well Sumeet

Well it boils down to the education level at the roots... the strict law systems in the Western worlds and the pursuance of a legal course of action in form of a lawsuit.

1. Deval very rightly points out the heart of the problem... is what you see and are taught at childhood

2. The Law: In India, sab ke haath Kanoon se lambe hotey hai.... you can have shiney Ahuja out of Jail, you can have Salman Khan out of Jail more than 10 years after commiting a crime, and whatnot.... Its all money and corruption

3. In the US, you would simply sue the hospital or doctor and the outcome may be in patients favour or if the hosp has followed all standard protocols, the case will be dismissed. But surely there will be an outcome.

In UK, the doctors can have their names erased from the Medical register, should there be a fault or medical negligence.

In India, very few Indian Doctors have ever been punished, and the law takes a long time decades is the minimum.

Its these complex rules and facts, which have led to this unfortunate event.

The accused have been arrested....

Strangely i read there were some Female security guards from Eagle firm, who ran away from the site, once the assault started..... KEM Hosp should perhaps review their contract and change the security agency,

I ve never heard of any security agency having any Female guards...i m certainly wrong as Eagle do have this.... but i doubt the efficacy it would have in preventing or tackling crime. Here, it has certainly not prevented this preventable crime from being committed.

Well, all we can hope ! Acche din aayenge someday....

[victoria1000]

Until you have proper courts system and a police force that supports the people and are is not curropt then this will carry on. All Hospitals should have cameras and that will help. I you put pictures up on facebook it will go world wide and the Indian Government will have to take notice.

It only takes one person to change things.

Warm regards

From Margaret in London

[MandeepMarkandey]

Dear Sumeet, first of all pls accept my sincerest apologizes to you and all Doctors on behalf of my fellow countrymen for the ill treatment and the attack in KEM Hospital.

While I have no doctors in my family but I have seen some of my doctor friends toiling long hours and not still not being given the respect they duly deserve and that pains. I will be honest ever since my mother was treated of breast cancer my respect for Doctors has grown many fold. As you said Just like almost every sector there are a few because of whom people generalize and discredit the works of the whole community, but that shouldn't be a basis for violence. While I am on the firm belief that sometimes power is necessary but not against people who sacrifice their personal lives in service of others. Most of the people can't stand the sight of blood and turn their faces away when they see someone with gross injuries, its Doctors who treat them and bring people back on their feet.

Its a shameful act, and as you all know root of the problem is the literacy and basic respect for each other. To change the mindset it will probably take decades no matter how much progress we make or how much Indian GDP is.

Thank you for sharing your feelings and the turmoil this and similar incidents have caused to you. No words can be ever enough but I hope it helped you calm down a little by writing in our forum. Sometimes we have to let out the pain and writing helps me in person;

Sukoon milta hai do lafz kagaz par utaar kar

Cheekh bhi leta hoon aur awaaz bhi nahi hoti

Once again pls accept my apologies on behalf of millions of people like me who have a lot of respect for Doctors.

[kontak TeamBCI]

What happened in KEM is a very shameful act and in no ways acceptable. A strict legal action should be taken so that in future such incidences should not happen

[Dil2310]

KEM hospital incident is one of the shameful act occurred. This is not accepted and proper legal action should be taken by the Government.

[previ80]

This is indeed a very shameful incident. I remember a wonderful hospital in Thane, Sunitidevi Singhania hospital with the most modern facitilies was so badly vandalized by a political party because the doctors couldn't save their leader who died of a massive heart attack, despite best efforts. I agree their leader was a very dear person and much loved by the people. But the way they vandalized and burnt down the entire hospital was shocking! The Singhanias refused to re-build the hospital. It was one of the best hospitals in Thane. My father was treated there for leptospirosis and the staff and the doctors were amazing.

I sincerely hope legal action is taken by the government in this case and the guilty are severely punished.

[sumeet_shah Administrator in reply to previ80]

In my post above, it is exactly this same incident of Singhania hospital which I have mentioned when I stated that political party destroyed one of the best hospitals.

In those days, Singhania Hospital was the only cardiac centre between Sion and Pune, you can imagine. It was a world class hospital which was rare in those days. And those vandals destroyed it just because their leader didn't survive. The memories are so deeply etched in my heart, can't tell. Trust me, India will probably be the ONLY country where such vandals rape a hospital or a holy place and still go Scot free. The levels to which humanity can fall down, by politics and their parties, is unheard of in any democratic nation. I am sure that when other countries face a drought, their political leaders don't divert water from the poor people to wealthy industries and then when questioned, talk about filling dams by pissing in it.

[roxboxfox RadiationOncologist]

Yet another incident at VN Desai Hospital at santacruz where a local MLA verbally abused a doctor without being aware of the facts and creating a ruckus.

The staff go on a flash strike.

For details..times of india from today

[kontak TeamBCI in reply to roxboxfox]

Very disguisting & shameful act once again