"Medicine is the most secure career", said father of my daughter's friend, who is an Engineer. He was replying to my question of as to why he contemplated his daughter to take up Medicine as a career. He reasoned that he was struggling in spite of having graduated as an Engineer from a good university and most of his fellow students were in an even worse situation from career perspective. I thought that I consider Medicine to be a bad choice as a career as it takes long to settle down and the remuneration is not as per your social status that leads to a frustrating imbalance in practical life especially in day to day dealings with people from other walks of life. May be the grass is always greener on the other side!
Definitely, being a doctor one inspires awe in lay public. People wonder that you know more about their bodies than they themselves know. There are lot of social aspects of being a doctor, one of them is how people solicit medical advice, when they feel they can get it for free. In fact, it makes one feel great to get people to hear you so carefully and many a times it feels like being a 'guru', whose every word is sacrosanct. Or so we think!
The other day I hired a cab to go to my hospital. After 2 minutes into the ride, when I had settled down, the driver first confirmed whether I am a Doctor and then showed me an ointment tube and asked whether it was appropriate for his knee pain. I told him that probably it was but am not sure as I am a respiratory doctor and he needs to consult an orthopedician. I even offered him to get an appointment. He told me not to bother. Probably he would wait for an orthopedician to be his client one day! If I go for a morning walk, people often greet me in first round and by second round it has dawned upon them that an opportunity is making rounds. They stop me and ask leading questions about their health. Sometimes I suggest them to make a group where we can have a group discussion on their medical problems. One of the most annoying situations are when you have gone for a social party like marriage. I can not ask "how are you?" as people don't understand that it is a customary greeting and take it literally. The other day in a marriage, a distant aunt was merrily laughing away with someone. She was nicely dressed up and seemed to be in a very good mood. On approaching her, I greeted her, "How are you?' She looked at me and her face was suddenly sullen. She replied, "I have lot of pain, consulted many people, you tell me what should I do?" I was distressed and at the cost of being rude I spoke to her. "I feel so sorry for myself! The moment you see me, you don't see me as a person, just as a doctor. You forget all the joy and are reminded of your ailments. I have become a reminder of your sufferings. I am sure you don't need my medical advice, nor are you going to use it, had that been the case you would have contacted me! Even then if you really need my advice, you are most welcome to come to my clinic and I shall do all possible for free. You have come to the party for a change from your routine and so have I! You were having a good time till you saw me. Can we avoid talking about diseases? You can talk to me about anything else movies, politics, mythology, social issues, sports, relations, careers.....anything! Why do you limit your vision to see me only as a doctor." "No, I just asked because you are a wonderful doctor", she explained. "I am a wonderful person otherwise also! Kuchh aur baat kar ke to dekho!"
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