Once the Noble and pride profession, practicing medicine is becoming fearsome. India’s healthcare system is facing a silent emergency, not of disease, but of distrust. A worrying wave of rising intolerance among patients has led to an alarming surge in verbal abuse, threats, and physical assaults on doctors. Once revered as lifesavers, doctors now work under the looming shadow of mob rage, fueled by unrealistic expectations and social media-triggered misinformation. Emergency rooms have become battlegrounds. This is not just a law and order crisis—it is a near collapse of the doctor-patient relationship, once sacred, now strained to the breaking point. Urgent systemic, legal, and cultural interventions are no longer optional they are are matter of survival.
While the issue looks monstrous, if we dwell a little deeper, it is clear case of miscommunication, over-expectations, low tolerance, and sheer ignorance about human biology and illness . With the destructive mass of information explosion , every patient tries to think more than a doctor, about his or her illness.
This curious thought popped up during a debate with my colleagues . Why not propose a Hippocratic-like oath for every patient and their close family members as they enter any public or private hospital .Hippocrates would have never Imagined , there would be need for such an oath from patients.
Here is the Hippocratic Oath : Patient version 2025 : *Disclaimer : The content is never meant to underestimate the freedom and rights of the patients. While the patients are becoming hyper educated , with various resources , this oath is an attempt to enlighten them some simple but Invisible truths in our profession.
I am sure, this might look harsh, provocative, and even belittling of patient rights. But, to my conscience, it looks like, we the doctors have failed the whole patient population, by behaving, as if we are doing the job of a God. (at least in India) In the process, we have hidden many errors and systemic malfunction that are built into the system. We hesitate to tell the truth .For example . the true medical risk is dynamic and can vary moment to moment, even with an apparently simple procedure. (1% risk can become 100% risk in a flash ( A minor lapse of concentration* during a complex surgery or procedure can lead to… )
No surprise, patients expect 0% error and 100% success. Think for a minute and reflect. When did you last admit to your patient, “Yes, it was a mistake or error on my part?” That’s where the seeds of problems germinate. In spite of the dedication (& sacrifice) of our entire lifetime to our patients, we stand sorry. We must ensure and sensitize our patients, that complications and errors are irreversible attachments of disease and the treatment process. (As of now, so called informed consent document in India, doesn’t even receive the respect of torn rubbish in the dustbin.)
Reference
*Full time sports professionals like Messi or Ronaldo can miss a penalty kick in a most crazy fashion, Virat Kholi can see his middle stump flying on the first ball, but Doctors can never err* … they need to be perennially precise, 24/7 X 365 .How fair it is ? Wish, God shall answer this query for our beloved patients.
** But, the truth is , they err quite often is the untold story .The day our beloved patients realize this, medical profession will be released from the clutches of distrust from the patients.
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 