Medical profession is at cross-roads. On one hand are issues like medical mal-practice and negligence but on the other are loss of respect, low re-imbursement, lawsuits against medical professionals, violence against physicians all contributing to a lot of stress as also a high suicide rate among medical practitioners. While some of the problems seem related to changing societal norms, most of them seem to stem from a failure, active or passive on the part of medical intellectual, moving away from altruism, justice and self regulation to pursuance of self interest with a consequent loss of trust in doctor-patient relationship. The solution lies not only in regaining this trust by following a path of community welfare, change in medical curriculum but also recognition by society, the problems faced by medical fraternity; long hours, low re-imbursement for mental and physical effort but most importantly loss of prestige. Urgent steps to reverse this malady should be undertaken, otherwise a full-fledged commercial and profit making medical field is the only alternative.
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