Minister for health and family welfare, Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu Thursday suggested that doctors and nurses should bring paradigm shift in attitude and behaviour towards patients.
He was addressing the inaugural function of Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI), National Conference 2012–Doctors section with the theme ‘transforming lives’ as the chief guest Wednesday at CIHSR Dimapur.
Azo said in Nagaland patients needed more “love, care and compassion” from doctors and nurses.
He also pointed out that healthcare sector has made rapid strides as an industry and there has been a rapid growth of healthcare facilities that included establishment of medical colleges in private sectors.
“The driving force behind this is the profit motive” he added and said it was not uncommon for the doctors and hospital management to resort to unethical practices. He said the common man today could not avail healthcare as achieving the same was beyond their means.
Azo appealed all to establish linkages which could bring the government, NGOs and healthcare providers together to achieve the objective of providing safe and affordable healthcare especially to the poorer sections of the society.
The minister said doctors and nurses were highly respected earlier because they took their profession not just as another job but as a ‘calling’ and lamented that the commitment level of doctors and other health workers has declined over the years.
Azo pointed out that many doctors and nurses in the state were not willing to work in the rural areas and expressed concern over this trend as lack of manpower would adversely affect healthcare delivery system.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sudhir Joseph from St. Stephen’s hospital, Delhi suggested that it was “high time” that Nagaland had a working Christian university. He also delivered greetings from CMAI president.
CMAI general secretary Dr. Bimal Charles speaking on the current situation and future of CMAI doctors pointed out that medical workers were not the only ones to make a hospital function but required working “hand in hand” with other.
He stressed on the need to have more specialists. He added that CMAI had an objective to promote fellowship to Christian health professionals and build capacity of members and institutions.
CIHSR director Dr. Abraham Joseph in his keynote address said transformation was not a one-time event but it was an ongoing process like the “life history of the butterfly”.
He emphasized on transformation of the individual before embarking on transforming the lives of the others. He asserted that doctors had a role to transform the lives of others much more than any other vocations.
Patients who visited doctors did not have just a physical problem, which could be diagnosed with the help of modern technology but they too have a “social problem or psychological problem”, said Dr. Abraham.
“Cure is not complete and transformation of the life of the patient is not complete unless we addressed all aspects of life”, he added and said the problem of modern technology and its impact on human beings have no physical touch and had no concerns about social issues.
Earlier, the programme was chaired by Dr. Clement Momin while Dr. Viu Meru proposed the opening prayer. Vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Sedevi Angami, MS CIHSR.
Around 30 doctors from across the country and an equal number of doctors from CIHSR and hospitals in Dimapur attended the conference.