- To heal the nation
An inherent attribute or a learned behavior, violence can never be arguably accepted as a sensible means to settle disagreements by a civilised nation. In today’s world, when every nation claims to be stepping up the civilisation hierarchy, we still witness many instances of violence that proclaim man to be a slave of whim rather than a character of reason. Like every other department and sector in Pakistan, violence, unfortunately, has percolated through the tiers of the healthcare system as well. To have a place of healing turn into a zone of conflict is no less than an intra-societal war that has the potential to undermine our strength as a nation than any threat looming across the border.
To commence, many instances of violence against doctors have been surfacing across Pakistan with seemingly increasing frequency. From verbal abuse and accusations, to physical assaults and sexual harassment, a number of cases have emerged, stirring concern in the healthcare department. In case of such events, more often than not, only one sided picture of the story is portrayed and propagated leaving behind room for further discord. An element sprinkled here, and an element omitted there to fuel the fire rather than to douse it – just another lip smacking news to savor the slow demise of our system, just another careless “share” on our walls to toast to our own downfall. What might seem like an individual victory is in fact a collective failure.
A school of thought supports the idea of violence being an innate trait, a seed within that seeks to grow without in “unfavourable” circumstances. To understand every act of aggression, one must understand the circumstances that lead to it. In case of violence against doctors, one can highlight bilaterally a few core issues to comprehend the grounds on which these acts might have been committed. Remember, there are always three sides of an argument: your side, their side and the right side (which is based on a holistic perspective of happenings).
While a general speculation circulates against doctors being either negligent or uninformative, many have come to the consensus of labeling them “butchers” for an assumingly business oriented approach in treatment strategies. Some of these allegations might have a firm standing based on unsatisfactory individual experiences, but just as they say, “not even the five fingers of our hands are alike”. To generalise those experiences to the whole community of doctors is not simply unjust but rather preposterous. At some instances, doctors have even been held accountable for non-availability of material resources in the hospitals, bearing in mind the fact that those do not count as the responsibility of a doctor but either the hospital administration or in case of public sector, the government.
Similarly, doctors have voiced concerns for their safety, stating the attendants to be uncooperative and non-receptive to unfortunate news especially in case of emergencies. Various researches conducted in the healthcare sector show a decrease in the morale of doctors after encountering aggressive behaviour from the patients or the attendants. Furthermore, too many attendants and an aggressive approach on their part also hinder the provision of medical care to the patients.
Many instances of violence against doctors have been surfacing across Pakistan with seemingly increasing frequency
According to official statistics, Pakistan has one doctor for every 6,325 persons which supports the idea of doctors being one of the most over-worked communities in the state. Owing to the socio-economic and political instability in the state, we are a nation starved for rights. Every individual houses and harbours a repressed frustration that takes form of vitriol, lashing out at unexpected and unwarranted places. We are a nation with bare emotions and also a nation in need of doctors. It is pertinent to be sentient to the need of the hour and take certain measures to curb the friction between the general public and the healthcare professionals.
To conclude, a multifaceted approach needs to be adapted to address the situation at hand. Primarily, doctors, keeping in mind the sanctity of the Hippocratic Oath, should respect the needs of the patients, disperse details about the risks and complications involved in every treatment to uproot any false expectations and address all concerns of the patients and their attendants. Secondly, hospitals, both private and public, should have prompt and efficient complaint and liaison services in place to facilitate patients in case of any grievances. It cannot be stressed upon enough that a conducive working environment is sine qua non for effective service delivery. Hence, the public needs to be mindful and respectful of the hospitals’ policies and doctors’ working space.
Lastly, following India’s lead on introduction of a Doctors’ Protection Act in 2010, Pakistan’s healthcare system can also benefit from a law to protect the interests of its doctors. To heal the nation, the healers need to heal in skin and spirit, and a protection law will rekindle the dwindling spirits of this taken for granted vital asset of Pakistan.
