Doctors: Villains or victims?

It's no secret that doctors are more sorely needed now, during this pandemic, than any other time in modern memory. That's not the point this article will focus on, though. How often do you consider the health and well-being of those doctors who are fighting Covid in the trenches?

Sure, we all want them to be healthy and well, of course, but do we do a good job of expressing our support? Honestly, I think the answer is a little difficult to hear. In general, doctors in this time period are struggling through worse health conditions, both physically and mentally, than many of us sitting at home.

Every day, doctors are blamed for astronomical medical bills, even though their employers are typically the ones setting those prices. Doctors and nurses are yelled at and spoken down to on a regular basis, frequently held accountable for situations they don't have the power to control.

It's so easy to forget that a physician doesn't represent his entire hospital and that they're not the ones divvying up resources, hiking up medical prices, or making most of the decisions. No, the nurses and physicians are just front-line soldiers in the war against disease. They're not free to do as they please and they're not out to get you.

This situation, this disease, is no one's fault. No one woke up one day and decided, "Man, it sure would be fun to just ruin human society. I think I'll catch a horrible life-threatening disease." Not one person out there, patient or physician or politician, had any power over all of this happening. But we can retain our human decency. We have the choice to do so.

A doctor can cure a thousand people, then lose one patient because of human error. Doctors aren't machines and when they're fighting to save this many people, even the most talented humans in the world will still only be human. So they lose one patient.

Then what happens? First, the media latches onto it, sensationalizss it, downplays every positive effort that person has ever made. None of the lives that get saved show up in the media. Newscasters don't want to interview the survivors, the people who would offer kind words of encouragement to the people who suffered and struggled and fought to save them. No. The cases that go well don't end up in the news, because it's not interesting enough. It won't get ratings.

So instead, the one loss out of a thousand, a loss that will haunt their nightmares forever already, a loss that they had to carefully explain to an anxious family, a loss that hits the physician like a truck, is broadcast on national news stations. These doctors, already suffering, are under the constant threat of libel and slander because our insufferably irresponsible media outlets think it's funny to kick people at their lowest point.

Is it funny? Is it acceptable to tell someone who's trying his hardest that one mistake makes him a failure, a monster, and a fraud? Can you look the man who saved your child in the eyes and tell him that you're not impressed?

This seems like the perfect time to take a step back and ask ourselves if we're still human right now. It's easy to just gulp down everything the media forcibly shoves down your throat and believe that someone's out to get you. That's the only thing they want to talk about, after all.

But you were given free will. You have the power to investigate everything you hear. You should be able to decide for yourself whether or not the doctors of the world are worthy of your respect. Not because I said so or because the media said so. You're a human being, so what do you think?

To be clear, I don't think anyone's mistreating the physicians of our country on purpose. The people who demand them to be available 24/7 aren't malicious. They're scared. We're all scared right now and that's normal. Still, as human beings we have a responsibility to rise above that fear and above what we're told.

I say all this because they're scared too, these doctors. They're sleep-deprived, malnourished, and scared. They know that they're not living the healthiest lifestyle right now, but they're choosing to go to work every single day and fight for the lives of others. This isn't just a job to them. This is a calling that they heard and answered. I'm only asking that we, as a society, remember to respect their efforts.

I have decided to write to you because through your media it is certain that some of the people may get sense and become understandable about what is running on a doctors' mind. I hope that the general population will recognise Doctors' sincere efforts and sacrifice.

(The writer is pursuing Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Hyderabad)