Thursday was National Doctor’s Day in Pakistan. But I am sure most of you were not aware of it. Such is the respect and importance we give to our doctors these days.
Anyway, this day is celebrated as a tribute to the doctors who have been honest in their profession and have dedicated their lives towards making great efforts and saving the lives of millions of patients. It is a day when we thank these life-savers for their unconditional struggle and priceless care. Such heroes should be thanked for their compassion in taking good care of the sick and the needy.
Many times, people get under the care of doctors who do not treat them in a responsible and professional way. Essentially, these doctors sometimes become the target of public violence too as people find it very confusing to judge who the right doctor is.
A large ratio of our population is dependent on physicians and doctors in many ways. Annual doctor’s day celebration has not only been a way to appreciate all the hardworking physicians and doctors who treat us, it has also been a way for us and our doctors to understand the responsibilities, importance and roles of doctors and to promote medical professionals to come one step closer and follow their professional responsibilities with dedication.
Such a day should not be forgotten; it should be celebrated.
It is very essential for a patient to have good terms with their doctor as it is very critical for a variety of reasons, especially patients with life-threatening diseases as they face an incredible amount of anxiety and fear related to their disease. They should have a very comfortable relationship with the consultant doctor for the quality of treatment.
As per many experiences, it has been observed that a good doctor-patient relationship increases the likeliness that a patient will follow the proper recommendation of treatment, take medication and come to appointments on time as well as make necessary changes in lifestyle to improve the outcome. It is important for the patients to be a part of the discussion for the process and they should be comfortable enough to discuss sensitive issues related to their health, and understanding the treatment, diagnoses and its impact.
A good doctor should have qualities that relate to their professionalism and their level of emotional value to the patient:
Professionalism:
It is very important for any doctor to behave professionally at all times. Professionalism gives you confidence in anything you are doing, it is a fundamental strand in the ethics of medical field as professionalism includes being fair and respectful – not only to the patients but to your colleagues as well. The quality of a good doctor is that he/she treats all the patients equally of all ethnicities, class backgrounds, genders and lifestyle choices. Their job is not to judge the patient but to treat them.
Empathy:
Empathy is a very powerful tool in any doctor’s life, as doctors make an empathetic connection with their patients. The patients then feel they are in the right hands and the doctor is taking an interest. This way the patients can recover faster.
Contrary to that, if a doctor does not show empathy, the patient becomes stressful and that can actually prolong the suffering of the patient.
Patience:
Some doctors are always in a race to take more patients as they want to achieve targets and they want a queue of patients waiting outside their room. However, this is never the best deal for patients. A good doctor won’t rush for appointments and make quick decisions. A good doctor will give ample amount of time to observe the patient, ask more and more questions for better decision-making and, in the end, take final decisions upon an educated consideration. This requires a lot of tolerance. Some patients themselves might be too stubborn to follow their doctor’s recommendations. A good doctor needs to have the tolerance to take care of these patients as well.
For this year’s annual doctor’s day, go out and appreciate your physicians and doctors who treat you, try to keep you healthy and hope you live as long as you can. Buy them flowers or just send them an appreciative letter.
Happy Doctor’s Day!
