Context

The medical profession is a calling. It requires sacrifice and grit to become a healer, a clinician, and from then on, it is a responsibility and commitment to a lifetime of service and learning. Beyond the initial years of studying medicine, doctors have to work very hard every single day to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

Challenges in this profession

• What makes the process more challenging is the dynamic nature of the world we live in today.

• Knowledge and the nature of knowledge are evolving, driven by technological developments.

• Healthcare challenges have also constantly evolved.

• Doctors have reduced many feared ailments to stories of the past.

• But ailments have also remodelled and resurfaced and are posing different tests to doctors today.

Developments in healthcare

• Health is on the national agenda for the first time after Independence. Ayushman Bharat is a game-changer.

• It will cover the cost of medical care for almost 40% of India’s population, while the 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres being developed will strengthen the national focus on preventive healthcare.

• There is a willingness amongst our administrators to hear the perspectives of the sector.

• Innovative plans are on the anvil to boost medical education and hospital infrastructure.

• Skilling for healthcare is gaining momentum, and will undoubtedly be a key engine for job creation.

• Millions of medical value travellers from over a hundred countries are choosing India for medical and surgical treatment.

• Huge investments are being made to build hospitals, contemporary medical centres and remote healthcare models.

The big challenge today

• The World Health Organization has been ringing the warning bells for the last few years on the challenges that NCDs pose.

• NCDs have been rapidly growing. Cancer, stroke, obesity and diabetes are some of the ailments growing at an alarming pace.

• They affect people across ages and threaten the younger population a lot more than the older population.

• The limited pool of medical professionals, technicians and nurses, equipment and hospital beds will make it very difficult to tackle the onslaught of patients and diseases in the coming decade.

• The entire medical fraternity must come together to tackle this threat with a disruptive and innovative approach of creating a continuum of care.

• This will enable healthcare to start from preventive care instead of limiting medical excellence to curative care.

Conclusion

On the occasion of National Doctors Day, doctors need to pledge again the medical oath. They have to be the harbingers of change in the attitudes and approaches towards healthcare. They need to become role models for their patients to lead healthier lives. They must educate patients about NCDs, and promote preventive care.