Health rot is much deeper; Indian Medical Association demands apology from Aamir
From MailToday, June 7, 2012, by Dinesh Sharma
CORRUPTION in medical councils, ‘cut’ system in drugs and diagnostics, overpricing of medical services, growing incidence of medical negligence, sex selection services for profit, unnecessary surgical procedures in gullible people. The list of ills afflicting the Indian health system can be much longer. This is just a sample of issues at the centre of heated debate following the focus they received in Aamir Khan’s non- fiction TV show. Though all this is periodically reported in media, this is the first time the gravity of the situation has entered public consciousness thanks to the melodramatic presentation and Khan’s star value.
To my mind, the Medical Council of India ( MCI) continues to be the root cause of all the ills. This self- regulatory body is supposed to give approvals to new medical colleges and expansion of existing ones as well as act as a watchdog for the medical profession. Instead, it has come to symbolise unholy nexus between corrupt doctors, officials, politicians and college managements.
If the very foundation of medical education is based on corruption, how do you expect the end - doctors - being churned out from this machinery to be clean. The same applies to dental and nursing councils as well. Yes, there are exceptions. We have good colleges and good doctors, but they are in short supply. Now look at the other role of MCI and state councils. It was pathetic to see current head of MCI Dr K. K. Talwar defend the council’s ethics committee in Khan’s show. The ethics panel of MCI ( and those of state medical councils) is a crude joke on people of India. It is just a forum to shield doctors facing charges of medical negligence and corruption and not to uphold ethics and patient rights.
Imagine Dr Ketan Desai - who was caught red- handed taking a bribe, chargesheeted by CBI, sent to jail and is facing a trial - retains his medical license. Why? Because MCI and the Gujarat Medical Council colluded to protect him. Two successive secretaries of MCI have been involved in corruption cases, but the council has not taken away their right to practice.
How can poor victims of medical negligence even hope to get any justice from such councils? If Dr Talwar is serious about his job, will he ask MCI and its ethics panel to investigate the cases of commissionseeking revealed by two doctors in the show he participated? An ally of corrupt medical councils is a trade union of doctors called Indian Medical Association ( IMA) — which incidentally nominated Desai to become President of World Medical Association even after he was booked for corruption. IMA feels that the medical community is being made a soft target in media for female foeticide, medical negligence and so on. If IMA wants the medical profession to be seen in good light, as a first step it should immediately dissociate itself publicly from all charge-sheeted doctors like Desai and remove them from IMA membership, bring out a white paper on malpractices in the medical profession and launch a national campaign against medical negligence as well as unethical marketing practices of drug companies...http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=762012
I won't apologise to Indian Medical Association: Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan today refused to apologise to the Indian Medical Association which has accused him of defaming the medical profession through his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate and said he is ready to face any legal action threatened by it. "I am very comfortable if they (IMA) plan to take legal action if they feel that I have done something wrong. Of course, the courts are available for them. My answer is no, I will not be apologising," Aamir told NDTV.
The actor denied IMA's charge of defaming and insulting the medical profession. "I deny that I have done that. I have the highest respect and regard for the medical profession," he said. In an episode, aired on May 27, the 47-year-old actor highlighted the malpractices in the medical profession. The IMA had demanded an immediate apology from Aamir and warned him of legal action if he failed to do so. "Aamir Khan should apologise for having defamed and given one side of the story on medical profession. If he does not we are contemplating to take legal action against him for defaming and demoralising the medical profession in his TV show," IMA Secretary General Dr D R Rai had said. (Read: Medical bodies demand apology from Aamir Khan for 'defaming' doctors)
Aamir, who has been focusing on social evils through the show, said his show is not against doctors or the medical profession. "If the medical profession has been insulted and defamed by anybody, it is probably by those who are indulging in unethical practises," Aamir said. Aamir said he had received two kinds of responses from the medical profession after the episode was aired. One was the kind of response that IMA has given while the other one has been "extremely positive" from doctors.
"I have received letters from various doctors saying that they are so happy when they saw the show that finally someone is talking about this because this is something they were upset about and did not know how to deal with," he said. These doctors were unhappy about various "unethical practises" which were going on in the medical profession. "They have actually thanked and congratulated me for having done what I did," he said. Aamir said that doctor K K Talwar, head of the Medical council of India (MCI), who was on the show, had written a letter to him which was very encouraging.
"I can imagine it would not have been easy for Dr Talwar to face the tough questions that I had for him on the show that day but he faced those questions and wrote the letter after the show was televised saying that he really liked it," the actor said. Talwar said that everything would be done by the MCI to improve the situation. "A statement like this really encourages me because I feel he is someone in a position of power at this point of time. If he has a positive attitude towards bringing about change, then that is wonderful to hear and know," he said. Aamir said he was aware that a few doctors were unhappy with him. It is upto the medical profession to take action to remove this disrepute that is faced by this noble profession.
http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?ID=ENTEN20120205677&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=bollywood&nid=228077
See also: What about corrupt doctors? Shaming the Hippocratic Oath
CORRUPTION in medical councils, ‘cut’ system in drugs and diagnostics, overpricing of medical services, growing incidence of medical negligence, sex selection services for profit, unnecessary surgical procedures in gullible people. The list of ills afflicting the Indian health system can be much longer. This is just a sample of issues at the centre of heated debate following the focus they received in Aamir Khan’s non- fiction TV show. Though all this is periodically reported in media, this is the first time the gravity of the situation has entered public consciousness thanks to the melodramatic presentation and Khan’s star value.
To my mind, the Medical Council of India ( MCI) continues to be the root cause of all the ills. This self- regulatory body is supposed to give approvals to new medical colleges and expansion of existing ones as well as act as a watchdog for the medical profession. Instead, it has come to symbolise unholy nexus between corrupt doctors, officials, politicians and college managements.
If the very foundation of medical education is based on corruption, how do you expect the end - doctors - being churned out from this machinery to be clean. The same applies to dental and nursing councils as well. Yes, there are exceptions. We have good colleges and good doctors, but they are in short supply. Now look at the other role of MCI and state councils. It was pathetic to see current head of MCI Dr K. K. Talwar defend the council’s ethics committee in Khan’s show. The ethics panel of MCI ( and those of state medical councils) is a crude joke on people of India. It is just a forum to shield doctors facing charges of medical negligence and corruption and not to uphold ethics and patient rights.
Imagine Dr Ketan Desai - who was caught red- handed taking a bribe, chargesheeted by CBI, sent to jail and is facing a trial - retains his medical license. Why? Because MCI and the Gujarat Medical Council colluded to protect him. Two successive secretaries of MCI have been involved in corruption cases, but the council has not taken away their right to practice.
How can poor victims of medical negligence even hope to get any justice from such councils? If Dr Talwar is serious about his job, will he ask MCI and its ethics panel to investigate the cases of commissionseeking revealed by two doctors in the show he participated? An ally of corrupt medical councils is a trade union of doctors called Indian Medical Association ( IMA) — which incidentally nominated Desai to become President of World Medical Association even after he was booked for corruption. IMA feels that the medical community is being made a soft target in media for female foeticide, medical negligence and so on. If IMA wants the medical profession to be seen in good light, as a first step it should immediately dissociate itself publicly from all charge-sheeted doctors like Desai and remove them from IMA membership, bring out a white paper on malpractices in the medical profession and launch a national campaign against medical negligence as well as unethical marketing practices of drug companies...http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=762012
I won't apologise to Indian Medical Association: Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan today refused to apologise to the Indian Medical Association which has accused him of defaming the medical profession through his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate and said he is ready to face any legal action threatened by it. "I am very comfortable if they (IMA) plan to take legal action if they feel that I have done something wrong. Of course, the courts are available for them. My answer is no, I will not be apologising," Aamir told NDTV.
The actor denied IMA's charge of defaming and insulting the medical profession. "I deny that I have done that. I have the highest respect and regard for the medical profession," he said. In an episode, aired on May 27, the 47-year-old actor highlighted the malpractices in the medical profession. The IMA had demanded an immediate apology from Aamir and warned him of legal action if he failed to do so. "Aamir Khan should apologise for having defamed and given one side of the story on medical profession. If he does not we are contemplating to take legal action against him for defaming and demoralising the medical profession in his TV show," IMA Secretary General Dr D R Rai had said. (Read: Medical bodies demand apology from Aamir Khan for 'defaming' doctors)
Aamir, who has been focusing on social evils through the show, said his show is not against doctors or the medical profession. "If the medical profession has been insulted and defamed by anybody, it is probably by those who are indulging in unethical practises," Aamir said. Aamir said he had received two kinds of responses from the medical profession after the episode was aired. One was the kind of response that IMA has given while the other one has been "extremely positive" from doctors.
"I have received letters from various doctors saying that they are so happy when they saw the show that finally someone is talking about this because this is something they were upset about and did not know how to deal with," he said. These doctors were unhappy about various "unethical practises" which were going on in the medical profession. "They have actually thanked and congratulated me for having done what I did," he said. Aamir said that doctor K K Talwar, head of the Medical council of India (MCI), who was on the show, had written a letter to him which was very encouraging.
"I can imagine it would not have been easy for Dr Talwar to face the tough questions that I had for him on the show that day but he faced those questions and wrote the letter after the show was televised saying that he really liked it," the actor said. Talwar said that everything would be done by the MCI to improve the situation. "A statement like this really encourages me because I feel he is someone in a position of power at this point of time. If he has a positive attitude towards bringing about change, then that is wonderful to hear and know," he said. Aamir said he was aware that a few doctors were unhappy with him. It is upto the medical profession to take action to remove this disrepute that is faced by this noble profession.
http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?ID=ENTEN20120205677&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=bollywood&nid=228077
See also: What about corrupt doctors? Shaming the Hippocratic Oath
