Thugs of Medicine

Mr. Brijlal, I have written some tests. My assistant will take you to the lab.

Brijlal: Doctor here are my recent test reports. You may please have a look.

Doctor: You are right sir, these tests are same but we don't have faith in this test lab. You will have to get tests done from our lab., which is reliable. After taking test reports you may come day after tomorrow at same time. I am blocking slot for you.

Assistant comes and request Brijlal to come with her. They go to the lab situated in the same hospital premises. Lab assistant takes a print out after seeing doctor slip and directs Brijlal to deposit money at cash counter first.

Brijlal gets shocker after seeing the slip, it's 47,500/-.

Lab Incharge: It's a basic amount cashier will add GST too.

Brijlal: But same test I have got done in 11500/-

Lab Incharge: You have seen that how doctor had told you to put those reports in trash. We perform actual tests and have experienced professional. It all cost money. 

Assistant: Sir you may pay through credit or debit card, if you don't have cash.

Brijlal: May I talk to doctor first.

Assistant: He is busy with other patient. There is no use of wasting his time again. He has given you appointment of day after. After taking test reports and depositing doctor's consultation fees, you may meet him day after.

Left with no choice, Brijlal makes payment at counter and give blood etc. for tests.

Day after he comes again and meets doctor Chamandeep with reports.

Chamandeep after seeing reports. You are lucky you have come at right time otherwise none could help you. How much medical insurance cover you have?

Brijlal: What happened doctor, anything serious. Five Lakhs doctor.

Chamandeep: Your knees are totally gone case. Both are to be operated at once and to be replaced. 

Brijlal: How much will it cost?

Chamandeep: Between 4.0 to 4.5 lakh including all expenses. Don't worry it is covered in your policy. I am referring, you may come tomorrow for admission. After admitting they will conduct some tests more and if all is perfect, you will be operated day after. Okay all the best. Just relax, it's routine surgery. Nothing to worry.

Chamandeep packs his bag and leaves with his younger brother Pankaj, who came with him to the hospital today. 

At dinner table normal family discussion is on.

Mother: What are your plans Pankaj for further studies.

Pankaj: Mom, I wish to become an author. I have written few stories and published at Launchora too. It's getting a decent response.

Mom: Writing is a good habit my son. I wish to ask do you wish to do Post Graduation in Radiology or Cardio. 

Pankaj: Mom, I wish to adopt writing as my full time career.

Chamandeep: Are you crazy? Your results for MBBS are due next month. Do you wish to say you wasted time, money & energy in doing doctors just for opting for writing career.

Pankaj: Bhaiya, who said education is wasted. I have learned a lot from my studies, which will be helpful in my writing. I will be using my medical knowledge in my stories, blogs and journals. 

Chamandeep: I had committed Rs. three crores for your Radiology PG admission. It is a lucrative career brother even better than practicing doctors.

Mother: Pankaj, our family is of doctors. Your father was one of the top most and most respected doctor of Gurgoan.

Pankaj: I agree mom. He was most respected human being because he treated patients with humanity and without ill motives.

Chamandeep: Do you wish to say we treat patients with ill motives.

Pankaj: Bhaiya let us have a drink, there is no use discussing it now. You are already tired.

Chamandeep: You reply to my question first.

Pankaj: You know the answer. What you did with patient Brijlal today.

Chamandeep: So what, he had pain in his knees so I suggested him knee surgery for his betterment.

Pankaj; If you were so sure, why did you got his new tests done, which must have costed him around fifty thousand as per your hospital rates.

Chamandeep: See dear, we are working with targets, I have to refer minimum 70% OPD patients for tests. Otherwise how would our hospital work. 

Pankaj: Isn't it burning the pockets of innocent persons, who come to doctors treating them as GOD.

Chamandeep: If I don't do this, other hospitals will do it. We will loose one client.

Pankaj: That's what I meant, now a days patients are clients not humans.

Chamandeep: So what is wrong in that. Hospitals need investments of crores of rupees so from where they will recover. Moreover in all sectors business is dependent only on clients.

Pankaj: Ours is a holy profession which needs humanity, charity and kindness. Do you remember, Papa recommending anytime such costly tests. He was always relying on his experience & intelligence more. 

Chamandeep: The testing equipments also need investments of crores so from they will recover.

Pankaj: Do you mean without these machines patients were not being cured. Bhaiya I know very well private doctors get 40% commission for recommending useless tests. Even now a days the test reports are copy pasted as per doctor requirements so that they can mint money by threatening patients with some fake diseases. 

Chamandeep: Pankaj, all this discussion is baseless. You take my case, papa paid fifty lakhs for my admission to MBBS and he expired when I was in 3rd year. Mom had to sell her investments and jewelry for my studies and capitation fees for post graduation. So after such a huge investment on me, how will I recover. Now talking about you we had spent a huge amount for your studies.

Pankaj: Now a days Hospitals and educational institutes are robbing stations, where people are being looted without showing guns.

Chamandeep: Whatever you say but this is the system now, we are not the exception.

Pankaj: System fails when people with Ability don't wish to Change the System and people with Authority don't have ability to run the System.

Chamandeep: My dear bro, what do you wish to conclude?

Pankaj: Bhaiya I request you with folded hands to leave this hospital job and start practice at home, where papa had done it for years. It may not give you that amount of money but you will get satisfaction and lot of best wishes from cured patients. I will also join you here. 

Chamandeep: See my dear, it's not feasible for me. Now you tell me what do you wish to do.

Pankaj: I don't wish to become money machine by selling my conscious. I am decided Bhaiya. I will not do any PG. I will practice at home with honest intentions and follow my passion of writing too.

Next Day

Brijlal checks in at the Vedanta Hospital. He is taken for all tests before surgery.

In meeting room hospital director discusses the cases of clients with team of doctors.

Director: Yes, Chamandeep what are the reports for your patient Brijlal.

Chamandeep: Sir, he had insurance of five lakhs. He was having a regular aging problem of loosing little lubrication in his knees. Which could have been recovered by vitamin D injections and some exercises. But as directed, I got him admitted for knee replacement surgery.

Director: Dr. Preshan what about Brijlal's other reports.

Preshan: Sir it's normal as per his age. 

Director: I mean to say how to en-cash his medical insurance cover of five lakhs.

Preshan: That can be done with knee replacement.

Director: Knee cost can be done later too, what does your intelligence say now?

Preshan: Got it sir, there seems some blockages, he needs immediately  angiography. 

Director: Who stops you in doing that, now Brijlal is our property.

...

Dr. Preshan informs to the brother of Brijlal that the reports are not satisfactory so they will have to conduct angiography. Family agrees to doctors suggestion.

While conducting tests, doctor calls Brijlal's wife and brother in the room.

Preshan points towards monitor,  See two artery are almost fully blocked.

Brother: Sorry, I could not visualize that on screen,

Wife: If doctor is saying, it must be. What should we do know doctor, will my husband be operated for knee today or not.

Doctor takes them to his cabin.

Preshan: Knee implant is not a subject now. You are lucky that on time we have come to now about these death alarming blockades. You should immediately get two stents done now.

Brother: Doctor, we will like to have a second opinion.

Preshan: Are you mad, he is on death bed, he may collapse any time. Moreover the needles are already in his body, it will be easier to do it now. Otherwise he will have to go with this painful process again. Mrs. Brijlal, you please take a call now.

Wife: Bhaiya, your brother is my life. Money is not so important now. Let us go for it.

Preshan: Don't bother for money it's is covered in your insurance policy.

Ultimately merchant wins and as usual helpless patient looses. Brijlal is forced with implant of two stents. He who was quite healthy with heart,  knees having simple aging and life style issues, is now being traded by these merchants. Now Brijlal will be more vulnerable to heart problems as two unwanted foreign elements planted in his body.

Hospitals people were so kind that they left 12,540/- of unused medical insurance policy of Brijlal. They made bill of only 4,87,460/-.

Brother of Brijlal asked Doctor Preshan what about knee implant now?

Preshan: First priority is that patient should take rest for two months. In the mean time, you may get medical insurance topped up. After that you may take an appointment with Dr. Chamandeep for knee implant.

.......

Time to think, medical sciences have brought us from where to where.

First all used to drink water from open Well and were living even for hundred years. Now even after taking mineral water, people are getting old in the age span of forties.

First all used to eat food with raw mustard, coconut or peanut oils and were having healthy heart. Now even after using double refined oil, people are getting heart surgeries in forties. 

First all used to eat sea salt and were having healthy life style. Now even after using iodized salt people are suffering from high BP or low BP problems. 

First all used to clean teeth with coal, salt or neem & were having strong jaws & teeth. Now even after tooth paste recommending by doctors are having tooth ache problems in twenties. 

First even after giving normal births to 7/8 children, mothers used to work in fields. Now would be mothers are in direct medical supervision of doctors since day one and had to go for cesarean surgery even for one child birth.

First all were having sweet tooth and used to enjoy all type of sweets. Now even without looking at sweets, people are more diabetic. 

First all were having regular walking with perfect knees even in eighties. Now even after doing gym, people are going for knee replacement in fifties. 

First all naturopath used to tell the disease after simple feeling the patient nerve. Now even after so much qualifications and pathological tests, doctors are unsure about diseases.

It's high time to think that this medical revolution has brought us from where to where. Is it good for human kind OR just a money minting tool for trading human body organs. 

....

Always Indebted & Grateful to my Parents (GOD).

© Pavan Datta

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.