Dr Payal Tadvi, a resident doctor from Topiwala National Medical College & Nair Hospital committed suicide as she could not take the pressure and mental torture from her seniors anymore. This cannot be termed as just ‘Ragging’. As ragging, as we all know is just a jovial gesture during the first three or four months of any college that culminates into friendship with seniors.
The suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi is definitely a result of something more than that. It’s needed that we all should ponder on this and peep into our hearts as to why a doctor should be a reason for such a sad end of another doctor. Although we doctors fall into the group of professional minorities, we are still one of the most intelligent classes of society. In spite of being aware of this fact, why does the vanity or self-regard of being a doctor, doesn’t unite us all? Just like in a case of Saas–Bahu enmity, although being a female they are the reason for each other’s distress, why on the same lines doctor – doctor enmity is many times seen ruining lives of doctors, Payal Tadvi being a representing example. Everyone in some or the other way experiences betrayal by fellow doctors or seniors like in case of Payal Tadvi. It may be professional rivalries leading to fake PCPNDT complaints against fellow beings or impediment by a government doctor or sadist attitudes of seniors, HODs during residency. This raises a million-dollar question in my mind, in spite of being in quite a prosperous profession, although not much respected these days, why do we behave this way with our fellow doctors? Why do we turn so bitter when it comes to our own medical community? In our professional arena, we all know very well that everyone will get his/her share. Still many times it is seen that we leave no stone unturned to expose other’s mistakes or get professional mileage out of it. Even when we have to face a government official who is a doctor, he will never go an extra mile for a doctor and it never reminds him that we are children of same mother Medicine. Gone are those days when treating a doctor free was a principle religiously followed by the medical field. Of course, charging anyone is a very personal and professional matter. Nevertheless, we have also miserably failed to build a positive united fraternity like IAS, IPS, IITians have done over the years. ‘Lobby’ is a cruel word for this symbiosis based on professional self-regard. It’s not just about covering up for each other but it’s about professional and personal osmosis for the betterment of each of us. It’s my observation that an IAS will always respect the request of another IAS when it comes to anyone’s administrative work. Manohar Parrikar regularly visited IIT campuses and reassured young IITians that they can anytime knock his door for any help. Even in an institute like Harvard, the alumni network is a way ahead and Harvardians help each other at many levels. Even in politics, opposition party leaders are always helped by ruling ones to get homes in Delhi as Member of Parliaments. If we deeply analyse the case of death of Payal Tadvi, we will get answers to the marginalisation of doctors and the medical community in the society.
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It’s not about being portraying ‘Holier than thou’ image. But why do we forget that being placed by destiny in the medical field, we are dealing with life and death? To be chosen as the most adorable children of God, we carry great responsibility on our shoulders. He has chosen us for a work directly connected with him. Isn’t being good first to our professional fellows and then to others is the first step to our professional and personal success? All this philosophy aside, isn’t a compassionate attitude towards our fellow doctors is an essential tool for our emotional and physical well-being? We are, what we are today because of our teachers in medical school. I have seen this world standing on the shoulders of my seniors, teachers and doctor friends. We have to give back to our medical community by being human to other doctors. Every doctor should shed at least one drop of tear for Dr Payal Tadvi whom we lost at the hands of other doctors. We should give a message to our future generations that, the medical field is one where every fellow doctor is treated with respect and compassion. Or else Payal Tadvi’s soul will never forgive us.