The New Nation - Internet Edition

S.M. Latif Talukder

Do you speak of a doctor's work? Obviously you wonder what sort of service he renders to the society. A doctor is preeminently a servant of the society. As in the manner the U.S. President states- "A person who rules the country is the first servant of his people in the sovereign". Each and every doctor is in touch with humanity and human problems which, nevertheless, are enough psychological problems. This is a concrete truth with physical existence.

Human beings irrespective of sex and age are constituted the same way all over the world although there may be differences in duties, in the types of diseases and the length of life span? Most diseases around us are due to poverty and ignorance. People fall ill and die because of lack of knowledge and callousness. In this context referred to a quote here from the UNESCO Constitution that reads: "War begins in the mind of man and not in the land first".

At first sight as it seems a doctor never does live or can live alone. If one does not like to lead a luxurious life he does not have to build a building or make a magnificent palace. He needs not the necessity of an engineer. He must not have to knock at the door of an architect. To go through another story, if you have not any quarrel regarding your landed property and family belongings with your neighbour or near and far relations, if you have not got any panic of loss and gain in your business or in political field you must not have to pray for public support or just help of a pleader, a lawyer. You need not seek advice from your political adviser or advocacy from a barrister. And vice-versa an engineer or a barrister or a political man might not carry on the profession in his respective subject of study. He may choose his career as a businessman or a service holder of any nature. He cares a little for public function or to come in close touch with the personal people.

But a doctor! God save the king, before your conception in the mother's womb and after death up to the grave all need a doctor without question.

So you cannot think of a life without the thought for a doctor and a doctor also cannot but help response at your call, call of a patient- an ailing man. Man from general mass looks at and calls in a doctor on life and death situation wherever and whenever necessary all through life, life before and after death even.

Eventually to begin with, a pupil coming of any social class down from low level up to the high, higher society what we see in true perspective. Majority of student write down fluently in the exam. script- "I wish to be a doctor" in answering to the question- "what is your aim in life?" Why. most of our children choose medicine as a career? Not merely out of expectation of gain in name and fame. Rather they might have come to be successful in any other profession. Then what is there that has influenced them to take up this decision in order to deal with the man or woman of disease and dead bodies.

Certainly they have got a special sympathy with the ailing people that urges them to alleviate patient's sufferings. Surely and merely by hearing the name of a sympathetic doctor bearing good name and fame a patient enjoys half the release. This is given to doctors only more than to all others to appear at the people's prayers. People wish each one of the doctor's true reward- a life not of ease but of work and the great satisfaction because of his effort.

As it is known within a generation the average life span of our population has nearly doubled. Credit for those belongs to the medical community. The old belief that disease indicated the displeasure of Gods is now on the way out. Today common people crowd to the doctors with faith and in the hope that doctors can work the miracles which priests and magic men could not.

In medical education our principal aim would be to produce a good foundation doctor equipped with the knowledge of basic health problems. A few of them undergo to be specialists in the chosen fields. They know and want to know the essentials to make the work of specialist more full of purpose. The training of sound and self-reliant medical men who regard the people as their responsibility and do not seek to escape the rigoours of their profession should be the first function of our medical institutions under academic category. The institutions need to improve the general quality of medical education and overhaul their training to enhance the value of their contribution to the society.

Medical research is important but the interest of research and specialisation requires a strong base of general competence. Regretfully we have an unfortunate tendency in our educational system to regard the secondary stage simply as a feeder to university education. University education is generally supposed to subordinate everything else to the production of Ph.Ds. Piteously alas, along with those Ph.D.'s let's not allow ourselves to be diverted from our basic task of physical knowhow. The main medical problems of poor countries like of ours are poverty and negligence. Our slender resources of money and men must be directed towards our own needs-needs of practical training in the particular fields. The fields are for none but for the physicians first. Because the need for medical facilities has been first in the line of secondary drive in human motives.

Side by side by rising teaching standards in medical institutions the duties of district hospitals should be strengthened. A good hospital is like a great tree casting a giant shadow of protection as like as the Cathedral or the Temple owed to religious purpose. Not only to abide by the official obligation but the doctors should be encouraged themselves to go to villages. On humanitarian grounds, at least, the doctors must respond to the needs of the native dwellers especially for those in far flung areas in spite of doctor's inconvenience and discomfort. Direct collaboration of both medical professionals and the medical students medical team could render signal service by systematically undertaking the protection of population from the more obvious of preventable diseases.

An integrated view is essential and there should be close relationship among the teaching medical administrations, public health services and research centres which are all aimed at solving basic medical issues.

It is a fact that a lot of positive measures have been taken up in the last couple of years with internal initiative and foreign aids.

New hospitals have been set up and impressive chain of rural clinics have been opened, utility of well-planned nation wide medical campaign such as eradication of malaria, prevention of tuberculosis, smallpox and recently world-wide household phobia of anti-Aids drive etc have been discovered.

There has been ability to extend the idea of social responsibility for the individual's health and industrious labours. Speedy and expensive medical care is an even greater priority. The medical services of Soviet Union and the East European countries, for instance, are most impressive, especially as regards the care taken for children and mothers. And for us it is sure that there are many innovations which we can adopt to counter balance our dependence on Anglo-American's method.

Modem medicine has advanced tremendously, and one may remark it to be miraculous. The credit goes to our medical professionals and their experiences. Although we the people of developing countries do ignore to a large extent the storehouse of medical knowledge which we have inherited from the developed countries but we cannot finally exploit the medical values of our plants and minerals. Our doctors and medical researches should look into these matters and, over all and above, extend best medical services for the benefit of our people and people of the world community at large.

Should the doctors endeavor their best efforts to functioning the solemn duty, definitely they deserve "Bravo". But lo! Yours is a noble, noteworthy, wealthy and honourably prestigious job. Now guard it to nourish this cherished dream which you are committed to socially, personally, homely and heavenly.