You cannot treat robbery with band-aid.

A book, 'Dissenting Diagnosis', written by two doctors seeks to expose the massive corruption in today's corporate hospitals where patients are ruthlessly exploited for profits. Every patient is seen by a number of doctors when there is no need. Unnecessary surgeries are carried out for which the doctor receives perhaps 10% of the bill, the rest going to the hospital. Large numbers of tests are ordered but a lot of them are not carried out. These are called 'sink tests' because the samples are thrown into the sink and the money is divided. Why have doctors sunk so low? Why have they stopped caring for patients who trust them with their lives? Doctors do not fall from trees, they are the product of the same society where corruption is a way of life, where you cannot get planning permission for building a house without paying a bribe and where seats in medical schools are for sale. Three girls committed suicide when they received no tuition even after paying large sums of money in fees to a medical school in Tamil Nadu. An online survey found that 70% of people in Delhi feel that corruption is at the same level as before, after change of government. Even after paying millions in fees and even higher sums under the table as 'capitation fees' the quality of education in medical colleges is considered very poor, according to a report in the US. Whereas Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion or the Raman effect, named after CV Raman, are still accepted as facts, causes, progress and treatment of diseases are changing constantly, which makes medical education the toughest among all subjects. Indeed, medical textbooks are out of date the day they are published so doctors have to study continuously to stay in touch with latest developments. Which means they must attend conferences where the latest research is discussed. Since most of the research takes place in the US and in Europe it costs a lot in travel and hotel expenses, which most doctors cannot afford. The government has passed a law making it a criminal offence for pharmaceutical firms to fund doctors because they may prescribe expensive medicines unnecessarily. How moral. Except that civil servants are allowed to accept foreign tours funded by foreign organisations, which could be working for the CIA, the ISI or the PLA. Is it any wonder that every country threatens us? The CBI reckons that over 2,400 top civil servants are corrupt, which means at least twice that number. The government will not allow doctors to work in other countries by denying them no-objection certificates. Lawyers are allowed to charge whatever just to lend their names and lose cases. All this is not to excuse bad medical practice but if things are to improve doctors must be treated with respect. Get the crooks, that is politicians, civil servants and lawyers far away. Let the profession heal.