Thought for Doctors and Patients

Karabi Mahanta and Sima Baruah

(Karabi Mahanta is at Dibrugarh University and Sima Baruah is Assistant Professor of English, NLB City College, Dibrugarh)

Today, on the occasion of Doctors’ Day, we offer our best wishes and success to all doctors. Doctors are regarded as the best citizens of the world. Almost 90 per cent people in the world suffer from major or minor diseases. There is no man in the world who has not visited a doctor. All of us visit doctors to open the bag of diseases we carry with us.

A doctor and a patient are the two sides of the same coin. In fact, the doctor is the substitute of the remedy of courage and mental strength of the patient. We believe that the behaviour, cordial conversation and the tension-free face of a doctor can often cure a patient even without medicine. There are also patients who lose their mental balance even without major diseases, when they become weak mentally. At the same time, a patient can easily overcome even a deadly disease with mental strength. The role of a doctor is very important in this regard to cure a patient mentally.

The doctor is the first controller of destiny for a patient. His success lies in bringing the patient back from the threshold of death. A doctor should be such that the patient should forget his woes, even if for a short period of time, after seeing him. The cheerfulness of a doctor can cure a patient much. The endless faith of the patient in the doctor can also cure him. This faith must be reflected on the face of the doctor. His expressions should heal the patient with the faith that nothing has happened to him.

The irritating face of a doctor affects a patient much. So, doctors can be considered as psychiatrists for patients. A doctor should start his treatment only after understanding the mental state of his patient and by listening to his problem with kindness, sympathy and patience. A patient can often show his impatience to the doctor as he has been undergoing a period of turmoil. Such an attitude of the patient should be forgiven. Unfortunately, sometimes medicines do not have any positive effect on the patient, and he may even die for some other reason. The blame in this case often goes to the doctor, and his lifelong service and good deeds are spoiled in a day. But, in fact, a doctor shows his loyalty to his service by coming forward to save his patient.

I am not an exception to those who carry minor or major diseases with them. Hence, I have come across both government and private doctors. I have also met doctors writing prescriptions even without looking at the face of his patient. I have also met doctors who give more importance to the fees of their patients. But I have also met those who are exceptionally good and are able to gain victory over the minds and hearts of their patients. They are ever-respected by all patients.

There are different doctors in different parts of Assam who are the favourites of their patients. Dr Bidhan Chandra Rai and Dr Bhubaneswar Baruah are well-known examples in this field. We are not fortunate to meet them, but we also come across doctors with attractive personality. Dibrugarh is the centre of medical science in Upper Assam, where there are many government and private hospitals. During the 1990s, diseases used to make a quick exit on hearing the name of Dr Shiva Baruah. Once a boy in our neighbourhood could not bring down his hand after lifting it up. He was working in the hilly areas of Arunachal Pradesh at that time. He arrived at Assam Medical College (AMC) with his affected and raised hand. Shiva Baruah Sir was examining another patient at that time. On seeing him, the doctor brought down his hand, saying, “Why are you coming like this with a raised hand?” The boy (now an adult) is still working well. He required no medicine. After a few days, he brought some sweets to show his gratitude for the doctor, but unfortunately that very day, Dr Baruah passed away. Such incidents may have occurred in the lives of other doctors and patients too.

Another such incident took place with a person in our neighbourhood. His only daughter (about 9-10-years old) had been suffering from periodical problems for a long time. The treatments of no doctor, even those from foreign countries, could cure her. Once she was admitted to a nursing home when her condition was serious, and her parents almost gave up all hopes of her survival. But she recovered under the exceptional treatment of Dr Dipak Kumar Neog, the renowned specialist of gynecology of that time in Dibrugarh. This is just an example of Dr Neog’s miracles. Such incidents may be trivial ones for doctors, but such patients remain ever-grateful to the likes of Dr Neog, even without the latter’s awareness.

I was fortunate to meet Dr Neog many times. Patients have a habit of disturbing doctors at dawn or midnight. Majority of doctors do not receive phone calls. But we have not seen Neog Sir becoming irritated in such situations. It is not only the duty but also the dignity of a doctor to show calmness and patience in such situations.

Finally, it can be said that a doctor is the medicine for his patient to gain a mental victory over death. Although it is believed that birth, diseases and death are in the hands of God, but a person’s mental preparation, will power and confidence play a vital role here. We can overcome even great obstacles with our mental strength, patience and courage. There is cure for all diseases, there exist the best doctors, there is a way to recovery, and God’s blessings are there all the time.