℞ - Empathy, Understanding and Cooperativeness. 1-1-1 (before and after meals) 365 days a year

I had the good fortune of listening to Dr. Umapathy Panyala (CEO Apollo group Hospitals, Karnataka) in a forum on use of, and enterprise opportunities in technology for healthcare industry, in India and the world few months back. It was at this event that I was introduced to a book - 'Healer: Dr Prathap Chandra Reddy and the Transformation of India', an autobiography of Dr. Prathap Chandra Reddy (founder of Apollo Hospitals, which is the first corporate hospital chain in India) by author Mr. Pranay Gupte.

I've the utmost respect for medical professionals as they are the truest form of Gods you can touch and feel when it comes to life on earth. I and my family have had the blessed fortune of interacting and getting treated by some of the best doctors (that we could afford!). Some doctors have amazed me with their ability to have a work life balance in spite of the thousands of patients they interact in a year, some with their excellent capabilities and skills and some others realizing their entrepreneurial dreams while practising their field of expertise.

But on reading this book, I stay amazed at one man's vision and his tenacity to realize his dream and goal of bringing world class medical care and technology in India. What adds to the amazement was his zeal at the age when he started realizing his goal and the time period he choose (which was muddled with bureaucracy, sycophancy and lack of healthcare awareness). Dr. Prathap Chandra Reddy is a testimony of Hippocratic oath and the spirit of concious capitalism; indeed a very rare combination that I've read about to date.

As I kept reading through the book, each instance and each interaction with his patients, doctors and business partners has been of empathy, consideration and cooperativeness. Something that is so valid in every customer interaction we must have irrespective of any industry or profession we work in. I think, like the way doctors have the 'Hippocratic oath' to keep them reminded of why they are in that profession, every service oriented company needs to instil the 'Service oath' by Mahatma Gandhi. There cannot possibly be a more prudent and apt definition of a service oath than this -

"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so."

- Mahatma Gandhi

All said and done, even after the Hippocratic oath we all have had or heard unpleasant experiences due to medical negligence or faced the stubbornness of arrogance by few doctors. I've had my share of these experiences (some funny incidences, where once, when I was a kid, a doctor scrubbed the injection needle to a steel vessel so as to supposedly sharpen the needle that had fallen on the ground right on it's tip just before administrating the injection. I still recall the pain I had when he pricked me using that needle, albeit with a smile at the expertise, or antics he displayed) and disheartening interactions where a doctor does not even have the time to look up at the face of the patient he is treating. Over the years of visiting the doctors, I've built one ground rule, if the doctors behaviour is of urgency or he/she cannot look at you while speaking and 'you' get the feeling that you are not being shown the time or care, walk away. Or if you think this is rude, then never visit that doctor again. He/She will never have the time for you and you will always remain with unanswered questions and a feeling of being mistreated.

But on the other side, there have been doctors who have etched my memory with their unrelenting care, attitude of concern and excellent judgement. Here is a brief list of doctors that I'll remain indebted my life not only for treating me and my family and taking care of us when it was required, but showing me the best a person strives to achieve in their field of endeavour.

Dr. V. P. Jayade (Orthodontist, Hubli), (Late) Dr. Shanbhag Patil (Dharwad), Dr. Advani (Immunotherapist, Bangalore), Dr. Shailendra Kumar Saxena (Physiotherapist, Bangalore) and Dr. Radhamani Desai (General Physician, Dharwad, a rank holder who has devoted her life for treating poor patients).

These doctors are/were living and breathing testament to what Dr. Paul Stelzer cites,

"In the time-honoured model of history and physical examination the patient will almost always reveal the diagnosis in the history but it requires that someone ask the right questions and listen to the answers. There is a big difference between the doctor who stands at a distance, never makes eye contact, cuts people off and just orders tests, and the doctor who sits down at the bedside, holds a trembling hand, smiles into the anxious eyes of the patient and offers hope. Having the privilege and the responsibility of helping other human beings in such a way is what gives such powerful depth of meaning to being a doctor".

Hats off to the doctor's who live and work by this spirit.