Can't doctors care for their money?

I have not ear marked my blog to doctors only and therefore this blog may not create the same response in everyone reading it. Anyway as a doctor and that too an anaesthetist whose names will not figure in payroll of most of the hospitals I think its hightime to share my view. I had received e mail update from medscape.com,-"Why Aren't Doctors Allowed to Care About Money? Part 2"by Leslie Kane- a few days back. It was a blog on the new health policy of USA and how it affects the payment of doctors. Many of the doctors had said their views.Here I like to mention some of them.

An anesthesiologist commented, "My plumber with no student loans, no education, and accepting only cash payments has an easier and more profitable career. Yes, medicine is a very altruistic career, but altruism doesn't pay for college, graduate schools, mortgages, food, etc..



Another anesthesiologist said, "Doctors are allowed to care about money, as long as no one's life depends on the service they provide. No one is proposing that plastic surgeons be required to provide a certain level of free care. That's the paradox -- the more life critical one's specialty is, the less they are afforded the opportunity to care about what they make."

"What really concerns me amongst people who are critics of physician salaries is the notion that physicians shouldn't care about their incomes," said a general surgeon. "This is a disrespectful and ignorant point of view that serves only to dissuade capable individuals from choosing a career as a physician in the first place."

An emergency medicine physician said, "The two bases of human emotions are envy and greed. Joe Average is envious of physicians' status and earning ability, although he knows he was not smart enough to get the required training or disciplined enough to complete it. The latter emotion, greed, is simpler: He wants everything for free...We can't overcome these basic instincts.

An endocrinologist asked, "For all these patients who think that doctors make too much money, I would like some answers. Why is it okay for the entertainment world (athletes, movie stars, television personalities) to be millionaires? Is it not okay that your doctor who had to endure twelve or more years in medical school and residency be compensated for this?

One family physician summarizes the irony of actually being an altruistic doctor: "It seems I help treat the needy and we see patients milking the system. We are in danger of being sued by the 'cannot make happy group.'
It surprised me that as most of us, doctors in India, think that USA is paradise for doctors and when we go there we will become millionaires. But I am sure that not only in USA but in any country the payment to doctors is very less when compared their service. The other side is always green, isn't it? When such a question is asked to our doctors I am sure the answers will be the same. May be the payment system in USA is different from our country. There,patient is not directly paying to the treating doctor but to the insurance company. The doctors there left the ordeal of collecting money to the insurance people for many years and are now feeling for it.
In the above said article one doctor had said,"Doctors have allowed the insurance companies and other payers to substitute for their own collection efforts," said an emergency medicine physician. "Because of this, they have become even more uncomfortable with receiving payment in any other way. We have suckered in for 'the only ethical way to receive money is if others just GIVE it to us.' We didn't take responsibility for our own incomes and that is why we are here. It was just easier to let 'the big daddy' do it -- albeit with huge pressure from 'the big daddy.'"


But here the story is differnt but effect is the same. Can you tell with confidence that you get what you think is your reasonable professional fee from your patients? How many doctors get their money without bargain? Is there a uniform fee system here? People are ready to spend on things that make them happy or they think they are happy when they are doing such things. A common man can shell out Rs 200 to buy a movie ticket but he thinks its a waste if he give Rs 50 to his doctor. After all these tiring years of medical college, residency, PG preparation time, toiling PG period and loans to set up a small practice place, you have work till midnight to get that Rs 50. A teashop owner earns on an average Rs 1.5 lakh per month believe it or not. He sells coffee worth just a rupee for Rs 6. Just imagine what we are doing? What is the electrician bill per day - Rs 300! That if you call him two days earlier, if its a emergency it escalates.But even if you are called at midnight you can't charge it high yet there is a provision to do so. Because you are a doctor and you are there to treat a patient in need but your needs won't be met. I don't think it makes sense. I agree this is a service but can't I be allowed to ask my fee which I think reasonable. Of course I am not demanding it before my service. Is it not like cheating? Why people pelt stones at a hospital alleging demand of excess fee? Is there a code to collect same money at all hospitals? Why people keep mum at hotels charging excess bills , way high for what they provide? Why people throng theatres even if ticket fee is Rs 200? Why lawyers are not beaten up if they lose their case? Why it is not the same case with doctors? So we think that it is easy to get money from insurance company rather from our patient. People here including doctors are crying for insurance cover for mediacl treatment and the trend is slowly changing here too. But we have look at what happened in US when doctors handed over the 'collection responsibility' to insurance companies and I am sure insurance companies are same everywhere. Now they are chasing us but in few years we will be chasing them for our money.

An old Russian proverb:"The doctor is an angel when he tenders his cure and a devil when he tenders his bill."

Rahmanism- Where it is going?

I thought of writing this blog much earlier than previous the one about Tendulkar. But I refrained from doing so since I don't know whether I am right. I am not the one who is having first hand knowledge about music. I don't even know the basics about it but I can smell the goodness or the catching aura of a song in the first instance itself. Idon't have to hear it repeatedly. I am sure many of you will have a feeling of joy or something enjoyable or something pleasant or something which reminds you your childhood on hearing good tunes. But on hearing the songs of Raavanan(Raavan inHindi) I had no such feeling in my heart. In fact I struggled to follow them uninterruptedly. Except Usire Poguthe( Behne De Mujhe in Hindi) sung by Karthik I surely can't digest any song.

They say how cleverly Rahman mixes his tunes with beats, blends the voices of his singers( sometimes he changes them too !), how he deviates from the standard compositions and things like that. But what is the use if he can't give a song which common man can't hum when he is in good mood of the day. What is the use when it doesn't kindle your heart? What is the use when it doesn't serve its purpose? I think he no longers belongs to the place where he originally belonged to. Or he thinks people will like his work in whatever way he gives. Or probably he thinks it is enough if he satisfies a select audience. Where is the Rahman who gave us excellant tunes like Porale...(Karuthamma and later in his path breaking album Vande matharam), Ennavale...(Kadalan), Minnale....(May Mdham).As Bhradwaj Rangan in The New Indian Express put it he produces more head music than a heart music.Oh! Rahman! We the common people of India want something simple, sweet and cherishable.We can't understand your musical genius all the time!

Master Blaster On & Off Field

Hai Friends! I am blogging after a long long time. No specific reasons for that and I don't want to escape by saying that I had no time.The early morning rain and the cool breeze pleased me after the scorching summer of all these days and I am on week off today and hence this blog. Suddenly it striked to me that instead of writing about hard realities I could write about something or someone which or whom everyone relishes. And I decided to write about this man. The man who is darling of millions infact a billion people of Indian republic. The man who belongs to every house in India. The man who has won hearts of everybody including his critics. The man whose words are keenly watched by common as well as high profile politicians . The man who stood the 'test' of time. The man who is far away from his contemporaries in professional as well as personal life. Yes!The man is none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Born to a middle class family in Mumbai on 24th April 1973 he rose to stardom or demigod status purely by his talent and hardwork. No one can forget his staying at the crease at Sialkot in the final test of his first test series after having been badly hit on his nose. You are well aware of his records and no can deny his ability to adapt to the situation quickly. When most of critics raised questions about his ability to play in T20 format he silenced them all with his bat in recent IPL by becoming leading run scorer .Apart from all his on field records,which impresses me most is his pious personal life not deviating from Indian culture as we know it.
For his status and his earning he can do whatever he wants and can always defend it. But he sticks to moral values of our culture and so far not caught in any controversy.I think this one thing puts him apart from all other players of his calibre of any sport around the world. Don't forget what Tiger woods said after he was caught in sex scandal-' I thought I have the previlage to do like this after all my hard work '- This was what he had said in his apology. And everyday players act in a nonsense way in the public but not this man. Above all Sachin acts as a binding force of our people. He has no boundaries and every Indian believes that he belongs to him. That is something great. At 37 he still plays for India after all these 20 long years of international cricket. He hopes to win a world cup for India next year and we also do hope. All the best Sachin!