WITHOUT the WHITECOAT
The hypocrisy of the Oath
The phrase we uttered when we applied as incoming first year medical students in a prestigious school in West Avenue, was "in service of humanity."
This phrase has come a long way as we burned candles in our studies. The phrase is typical of the Hippocratic Oath, which we pledged to uphold. The word should have been "hypocrisy" rather than Hippocratic.
After obtaining or medical degrees came the internship and then, the residency training for Internal Medicine, Surgery, OB-Gyne and Pediatrics. Here we had long standing hospital duties as "squires and handmaidens" of the medical practice.
Finding a niche in the medical world was a challenge because the "dog eat dog" mentality exists in the minds of some "medical professionals." Earning one's first pay was quite tedious. Then came the fulfillment of dreams like having a brand new car and a big mansion in a prestigious subdivision just across Gustilo Street.
Newspapers have touched on some sensitive issues about doctors, like those in district hospitals who turn away patients suffering from dengue and issue on insurance fraud.
So, what happened to the Hippocratic Oath that we swore to uphold when we got our Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) license?
A doctor, seen as a "demi-god" --- someone who will cure the sick is now seen as an animal in the wilderness waiting for the next victim.
This image in the medical world in these changing times is a challenge to some. As one pharmaceutical company says, "Bringing life back to medicine." So, where's the "life"?
It looks like the image of the practicing physician is going down the drain. The news and commentaries we read and hear are very disturbing, but this simply reflects the road that medical practice has gone.
Gone are the days of "house calls," "patient intimacy and sympathy," a "caring" doctor, but an era where some business-oriented medical practice and physicians joining together to earn a "quick" buck thrive.
Some no longer look deep on what a "purpose-driven life" is to a doctor, thus we missed the importance of "care." Some have dedicated themselves in the treatment and curing of disease entity and the organ system that are involved. Some forgot that the patient in front of the doctor is another breathing human being.
"In service to humanity" and upholding the Hippocratic Oath is just a myth for some doctors who do not recognize why we are in this world.
"Bringing Back Life to Medicine" is a thing of the past for some if their priorities in life are the material stuff, not the changes we make in someone's life.
I believe that our commitment to care for our patients should always stay.