Indian healthcare at crossroads (Part 2): Social and environmental influences

摘要

In Part 1, we noted that the doctor-patient relationship in India has progressively deteriorated over the past few decades. In addition, doctors' status in society has declined to an abysmal low. Doctors no longer evoke respect from the patients and their families, and instead are viewed with suspicion and distrust. They are viewed as greedy people, who are in cahoots with pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers and are engaged in 'cut practice'. In fact, many doctors have themselves voiced these concerns. This lack of trust frequently manifests as incidents of violence against doctors. Part 2 examines the factors responsible for this change.