What is the chameleon watching today!

I found this chameleon perched on a tall tree on the side of a high way, looking over the fast moving traffic. 

Today if the chameleon were to watch the hospitals in the country today, what would it see! The striking doctors in all parts of India! 

The call to abstain from all work except for emergency services for 24 hours, was given by the Indian Medical Association which is the body to which majority of doctors are affiliated to. This is in protest to the bill passed in the parliament, National Medial Commission Bill, which seems to have many objectionable clauses which threaten evidence based practice of medicine and rational approach in health care.  

Let me suggest that hundreds of patients woeful suffer without health care and who knows a day in trading them on time would adversely affect their health. What if an upper respiratory infection became pneumonia because the treatment was delayed for 24 hours and her she needed intensive care!

Friend sin the profession, is it not true that all fo us took an oath to care even if we have to suffer! Should we violate that calling in our profession just because an irresponsible act of the lawmakers raises serious concerns even without consulting the professional bodies to find an alternative to what they proposed!

I know how furious most of us felt when a chief minister of state behaved most arrogantly when some residents were assaulted by relatives of patients in a rage act of retaliation over death of patient! We have by now known that the lawmakers of this land do not care enough to protect the genuine interests or needs of the health care professionals! We have an insensitive political mood as of now in the country!

In that setting, the age old trade union practice of striking work is not going to raise any eye brows. We are driven by information and evidence in our profession. Is there not many fora we can use through the print and visual media, to present facts and evidences for our argument against the National Medical Commission Bill and solicit of an amendment to the Bill by raising public opinion!

Why is that we differ dialogue and conscientisation of the civil society by our press briefs and public meetings!

Let me request the leaders of the IMA to call fo this strike and use better and novel ways of protest and uphold the noble traditions of our profession even when we feel provoked!

We are driven by heritage of resistance against traditions, malpractices, and superstitions! We have arrived where we are now because we have harnessed science and technology to make a difference in caring for patient and doffer them the best that they deserve. When that is threatened by easy options which the government imposes upon us, our resistance is a resolve the issue by being perseverant and steadfast till the change takes place! 

It is better for us to suffer ourselves to redeem the situation rather than cause our patients suffer! Making others suffer is againt the ethical grain of our vocation!

I on my part shall make my protest known against the Bill by contacting all those whom I know in the political dispensation! I shall do it steadfastly and fiercely!

Can we have a response proposal to the Bill and an alternative to offer affordable universal health care!

All of us have a sacramental connections and association with humanity especially all those who seek for their health needs. It is during our training we learned all the clinical medicine because the patients were willing to be our our subjects of learning. We owe our skills and abilities to them. This sacramental association calls for sacred reciprocity, even when we feel inconvenienced. Otherwise we are of all people utilitarian and not self giving!

Abstaining from attending on our patients is not a noble way of protest!At least have a referendum among all the members of IMA to see if there can be another way protest than abandoning work ! Such a drastic action to stay from our work is a serious enough matter which might inflict harm to others, that an opinion from many about its appropriateness is needed !

The nobility of our profession calls for responsible action and not impulsive responses!

M.C.Mathew( text and photo)