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Hippocratic oath reduced to hypocrisy by noble men


Non-availability of medical staff at PHCs will make patients to visit GGH in Anantapur, thus increasing pressure on the staff
Anantapur-Puttaparthi : The most noble profession of medical and health officers is under cloud, due to their quest to earn more, taking precedence over their Hippocratic oath, which is a code of ethics for physicians that outlines their professional conduct and obligations. The oath includes treating patients to the best of their ability, help the ill and not cause harm, never give a deadly drug and preserving a patient’s privacy etc.
Medical ethics, which are paramount in treatment of patients, demands treatment to the best of their abilities, particularly when it comes to poor and hapless patients, whose only hope is government hospital.
Everyday an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 patients will visit OP counters at Government General Hospital (GGH) at headquarters from different parts of the district.
After the district division, Sri Sathya Sai district still do not have a headquarters GGH, hence thousands still come to Anantapur from Puttaparthi and Sathya Sai district, adding pressure to the beleaguered staff.
Some patients have more confidence in the GGH than on local Primary Health Centre (PHC) or regional hospital. So, for simple ailments like fever, cold, cough or viral fevers, they would travel long distances to reach GGH.
Frequent absence of a medical officer at PHC or non-supply of medicines demotivates patient to go to local PHC. To prevent this, awareness should be provided to patients and importantly presence of a doctor, medicines availability and clinical services must be ensured to gain trust of local patients.
Doctors, nursing staff, laboratory tests, medical stores and other wings at the GGH in Anantapur is under severe pressure due to 10,000 patients thronging to the GGH daily.
Sometimes some patients had to return un-attended and un-treated because of limited consultation hours. Keeping this problem in view, the government mandated that doctors should be available in their hospital chambers up to 4 pm.
But, despite the instruction, only a skeletal medical officers and staff could be seen serving the patients.
There are 200 odd doctors in GGH, 130 doctors in Area hospitals, 140 in community health centres and 160 in PHCs. Complaints against some of the doctors include non-availability during duty hours, leaving hospitals after signing attendance register.
Physicians and surgeons attending to obligations in private hospitals and leaving the patients to the mercy of house surgeons. More than 50 per cent of government doctors are reportedly running own hospitals, nursing homes or having tie-ups with private hospitals. Due to conflict of interests, doctors are violating the Hippocratic oath of serving to the best of their ability, negligence during surgeries and the like.
When contacted, DM&HO EB Devi told The Hans India that medical officers, who joined service post 2020, are entitled for private practice and can do so during their non-duty hours. But they should not run their own nursing homes, she said.
Stating that if anyone is violating service rules, action will be taken based on a complaint, the DM&HO assured to enquire into the allegations of doctors being unavailable during duty hours and initiate action accordingly.

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