As a practicing Pediatric dentist, my daily work schedule involves constant engagement with parents and children. My relationship with my child patients is coloured only with love, as their response to me is largely positive, friendly and affectionate. The more expressive ones end their appointments with an empathetic hi-fi or a shy hug or kiss on the cheek. Those, who had to undergo strenuous treatments are subdued, but even they cannot resist cracking a smile, when offered a small sticker or gift.
The parents on the other hand, are a much harder nut to crack. From doubting the treatment plan to the charges, there a myriad questions that I am forced to answer.
So, when I started reading this book, ‘Dear People, with Love and Care, Your Doctors’ within a few pages, the book struck a chord.
The book is compilation of thirty four anecdotal stories centered around the Doctor-Patient relationship. These have been shared by different medical specialists practicing across the length and breadth of the country and even, some who work overseas.
Every story is presented as a letter addressed to ‘Dear, People’ and this is followed by a quote which gently sums up the underlying theme of that particular anecdote. For the literature lover and quote collector, this book is a delight. Yet, it also caters to the more prosaic readers who dwell on statistics and facts, as at the end of every individual story we find a box sharing information relevant to the main text.
The stories attempt to highlight both the exhilarating highs and the depressing lows of working as an Indian medical professional, where the demand for doctors is high and yet, the infrastructural and economic resources remain limited especially for patients residing in the interiors.
On the positive end of the spectrum, we have stories of doctors encountering patients who had rock solid faith in their abilities to treat them. Even more heart touching are the stories, where doctors could not deliver optimal results to their patients and yet, these folks accepted it gracefully as the command of the Almighty.
Other stories highlight the technical and intellectual prowess, commitment and never say die attitude shown by our medical professionals. On the flipside, the darker stories touch upon how nowadays Indian patients tend to disrespect medical professionals and even resort to assault or medico-legal actions without acknowledging the doctor’s efforts.
The book fulfils a social and moral duty by raising its voice against a major public health issue i.e. acid attacks on women. Multiple stories in the book highlight the sheer pain, trauma and devastation experienced by women who are victims to this madness. While plastic surgeons and allied medical professionals do help these women recover, the scars on their face and mind will always, always remain.
If I had to pick a few stories, that really captured my heart I would choose the story ‘ A Touch with a Difference’ by Dr. Subramaniam Iyer, where he shares how he performed the first hand transplantation surgery in India. Another story that I loved was by Dr Samiran Nundy, ‘ The Power of Clinical Acumen’ where he shows how as a doctor, overconfidence can cause you to potentially misdiagnose a patient.
The book ends with a unique manifesto by the primary authors where they highlight the rights of both patients and doctors.
I personally believe that this is a book that can be read by everyone; whether it’s a medical professional or a lay person. For fellow medicos, the book is an opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the exceptional work done by colleagues and to rediscover their joy for medicine and healthcare.
For the layman, its an invitation to visit a doctor’s inner world and to be re-introduced to them, neither as a God or a villain. But as a human being like all other others who is fallible and can falter, yet what set them apart is their ability to put their profession and patients above all personal and familial considerations.
And to end, I would quote from the book, ‘The law of nature is creation and destruction. In between these two extremes is the role of the medical professional.’
