I was there at a baptism function in a distant relative’s house. It was a Sunday afternoon, and that was the only day that I was free; I was a clerk in a private bank, so we did not get many holidays. But I was looking forward to meeting my relative Dr Zac. Even though we were not friends or anything, he used to treat everyone in our family for free. He was three years younger than me, so he always spoke to me with respect. We were talking about how he was finding it difficult to enjoy his work at the private hospital where he worked, and suddenly, I heard a voice which I recognised. It was my distant relative, my uncle Avarachan, along with his son Akhil. Uncle Avarachan had a small electric shop in town. He told us that Akhil scored a full A+ on his SSLC exam. Uncle Avarachan had to drop out of college himself due to family issues and start working. So, he focused on Akhil’s education a lot and was proud of his son. I congratulated Akhil. Uncle wanted Zac to help him convince Akhil to pursue Bio Maths for his higher secondary education so that he could write the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to get into medical school. They were expecting him to tell the child something motivating and give some tips for NEET exam preparation. Instead, in a calm voice, he said, ‘I certainly do not get paid enough. After preparing for the NEET exam for years and then years of hard work at medical school, my friends who chose other professions are making more money than me. They are enjoying life. So, if money is what motivates you, then it is not the best option.’ It was not the answer any of us expected. I realised I had forgotten to ask the child whether he was interested in becoming a doctor. So, I asked him about it, and he told us that he wanted to study commerce. I was in a tricky situation.
Zac decided to tell them about his experience during the last two years. He started talking in a way that I had never heard him speak in before, ‘You need a postgraduate qualification if you want to be taken seriously, even by patients. Even my seniors, who have more educational qualifications than me, are running from one private hospital to the next. Where do I stand?’ Zac could see the sympathy in my eyes; usually it was the other way around. He kept talking, ‘Then, the wonderful and safe environment that we get to work in! I was scared to my bones when I heard about the doctor who died after being stabbed by a patient. Maybe they should teach karate at medical schools. People in India tell their kids that they will get respect and status if they become doctors, but they do not usually tell them that there is a chance that they might get beaten up by the patient’s family members if something happens to the patient, even if it is not your fault.’ We kept listening to him like he was describing an illness. Then he was sad about what happened two days ago, news that had shaken the nation: ‘I hear that someone leaked the NEET exam questions. I wonder how many of them wrote the exam because of their passion for becoming a doctor. Or was it due to their parent’s wish?’ They asked him about how he prepared for the exam a few years ago. His tone shifted. ‘I was perplexed after my higher secondary exam. I was not sure what I wanted to be, and my parents told me to be a doctor, just like my father. The same father who used to tell people that if you throw a stone randomly, there is a very good chance that the person it would fall on is a doctor. We are that common. The irony is that as a paediatrician, he did not want to take that much of a risk, so he chose to work in a small hospital that did not have that many patients and finally retired when he turned fifty. The dream of many Indian parents. It’s a dream that has ruined many lives. The preparation begins even before the exam. You need a full A+ in the SSLC exam to get a seat in Plus Two Bio Maths, and then you need to prepare for the NEET exam along with your Higher secondary education. It is a race from school to the coaching centre. People like me who had rich parents would send us to schools known for combining higher secondary education with NEET entrance exam coaching. This was just the beginning. I could not crack the exam on my first attempt. I tried again next year because my parents wanted me to, and I do not know whether to call it lucky or unlucky that my parents could afford the fees for my education at a private medical college.’
After hearing all this, they asked him whether he liked his job, and he told them that he liked helping people. I pointed out to Zac that his parents were signalling from other side of the room that it was time for them to leave. Before he left, he told us that he was not happy with his job and was considering a career change, and that recently, he finally convinced his parents why he was considering this option. He made us all laugh by telling us, ‘I will decide after thinking about it for at least a year. I was always interested in the film industry. Maybe I will try acting and directing.’ He told Avarachan that maybe he is not the right person to motivate the child, and his opinion would be to let the child decide.
But all this made me think about people like me who go to hospitals trusting doctors. Now I wonder how many of them are passionate about their job. Would their lack of passion affect the way they treat me? Have I been treated by people who might have been admitted to an undergraduate medicine program by using unfair methods during the entrance test? Will I be able to trust the doctors who treat me from now on?
Critical commentary:
‘The state of the people treating us’
Most works in popular culture focus on the journey of doctors during their studies at medical school or after they become doctors. It is also essential to understand their preparation and motivation. This is crucial in an Indian context where parents play a key role in influencing the individual’s decision to become a doctor. In the UAE’s, Gulf News, in an article entitled ‘Why are Indian parents obsessed with science-related degrees?’ Rohan Keni talks about how ‘But only a few parents analyse whether their children have the capacity to study science or if they have the passion and dedication to become an engineer or doctor.’[i] The short story ‘The Doctor, the Parents, and Me’ portrays many relevant issues that affect the journey of becoming a doctor and the environment in which people work after becoming a doctor. The work explores actual situations and events that play a key part in the journey of a doctor.
In The Indian Express, in an article entitled ‘23-yr-old Kerala doctor stabbed to death while on duty, protests across state,’[ii] Shaju Philip explains the incident in which Vandana Das was stabbed to death at a government hospital in Kerala by a school teacher, who was brought to the hospital by police. This led to protests conducted by many Associations formed by doctors. The Malayalam movie Mikhael[iii] portrays the issue in a scene in which the protagonist is attacked by the party members of the patient, who is a politician. Even though here the protagonist is not attacked by the patient, it shows the safety risk they face. The protagonist, who is a male doctor, tells his colleague, Dr Mary, that they did not hurt her because she is a female doctor. Cases in which the patient’s family members attack the doctor have been reported all over India.
On NDTV.com, the page entitled ‘NEET-UG Paper Leak Had Genesis In Hazaribagh, Zeroing-In On School: CBI Officials,’[iv] Neeta Sharma provides detailed information about the NEET-UG paper leak. The accused individuals gave the question paper to the candidate before the exam, and each candidate had to pay 30 to 50 lakhs. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) is a mandatory entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in India for admission to undergraduate medical programmes. The leak has made people lose trust in the exam. In the short story, the character Zac can take the exam one more time next year with the experience from last year and the best coaching money can afford. Many candidates who cannot afford coaching and/or from rural areas do not get the same opportunity. This is an advantage that he has over other first-time candidates. The attitude towards doctors in Indian society is complex. Recent events have shown in Indian society the need to promote individual social responsibility, especially in the case of parents who push their children to become doctors even when they are not interested.
These situations also help to demystify the concept of the role of doctors as gods/saviours and show them as vulnerable individuals, which could also help to make them a bit relatable to the patients. From the health humanities approach, overall wellness matters, which also includes the patient, who should be able to believe in the doctor’s judgment. Many recent issues have challenged the healthcare industry and the journey of becoming a doctor. This has influenced the public opinion on these matters. It affects the patients and their trust in the people who treat them, which could affect their attitude towards the suggested treatment. The doctors have some power in a hospital setting, and when they are attacked by either the patient or family members and the safety and security of the doctors are compromised, their Associations protest by conducting strikes. But when a layperson, like the narrator in the story, goes to a hospital, they have less power and are vulnerable. Their safety is compromised when they are treated by professionals who lack the passion or by people who might have secured admission to the programme itself by cheating during the entrance exam. This is a public health concern because it challenges trust and makes the patients doubt the efficiency of their doctors. The only measure that patients could take to overcome this challenge would be to take a second opinion.
Joe Varghese is pursuing his PhD in English Literature at the University of Reading. His project is a critical memoir and study of chronic illness. Joe is interested in creative writing, theatre, and chronic illnesses that do not get the attention they deserve. He wants to spread awareness about such condition to create a better environment for recovery.
[i] Rohan Keni, “Why Are Indian Parents Obsessed with Science-Related Degrees?,” English newspaper in the UAE, Gulf News, April 8, 2017, https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/why-are-indian-parents-obsessed-with-science-related-degrees-1.2007844.
[ii] Shaju Philip, “23-Yr-Old Kerala Doctor Stabbed to Death While on Duty, Protests across State,” The Indian Express, May 10, 2023, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/crime/kerala-kottarakkara-woman-doctor-stabbed-to-death-by-accused-in-hospital-8601345/.
[iii] Mikhael, Action, Thriller (Anto Joseph Film Company, 2019).
[iv] Neeta Sharma, “NEET-UG Paper Leak Had Genesis In Hazaribagh, Zeroing-In On School: CBI Officials,” NDTV.com, accessed July 11, 2024, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/neet-leak-hazaribagh-paper-leak-oasis-school-cbi-neet-ug-paper-leak-had-genesis-in-hazaribagh-zeroing-in-on-school-cbi-officials-6078152.
Bibliography:
Keni, Rohan. “Why Are Indian Parents Obsessed with Science-Related Degrees?” English newspaper in the UAE. Gulf News, April 8, 2017. https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/why-are-indian-parents-obsessed-with-science-related-degrees-1.2007844.
Mikhael. Action, Thriller. Anto Joseph Film Company, 2019.
Philip, Shaju. “23-Yr-Old Kerala Doctor Stabbed to Death While on Duty, Protests across State.” The Indian Express, May 10, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/crime/kerala-kottarakkara-woman-doctor-stabbed-to-death-by-accused-in-hospital-8601345/.
Sharma, Neeta. “NEET-UG Paper Leak Had Genesis In Hazaribagh, Zeroing-In On School: CBI Officials.” NDTV.com. Accessed July 11, 2024. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/neet-leak-hazaribagh-paper-leak-oasis-school-cbi-neet-ug-paper-leak-had-genesis-in-hazaribagh-zeroing-in-on-school-cbi-officials-6078152.