Are our Children being raised right?
Is the medical fraternity a bit off?
If everywhere there exists corruption, malpractice and racketeering in a city like Mumbai, then why does a noble profession like Doctor has to be left behind? Recently I have personally encountered a lot of racketeering wherein few doctors just for that extra buck or hunger of popularity are not leaving patients before looting them. If doctors are such, imagine the condition of the hospitals that are catering to us. Please note this is a very general observation and I solely affirm that many of the doctors who are not involved in this racket are pure saviours of mankind.
A hospital in Juhu is known for treating celebrity children and adults. The owner of the hospital himself is a big racketeer. I haven’t seen any patient coming out of the hospital before having loads of complaints about the treatment adopted and the money they shelled out before coming out. Another hospital in the same area run by a charitable trust is unaffordable for more than 50% of aam junta–and another hospital in the same vicinity run by a tycoon, I have heard a lot of negative stories about racketeering. This is just about suburban Mumbai I am talking about. I am sure every city has its own mafiosi. Problem is not the treatment. Problem is the racket behind it. Even if the doctor knows that with few medicines the adult/child will be OK, unnecessary blood tests and scans are advised even if it is just routine illness. I know every doctor would like to see the condition but this did not exist 10 years ago. When me and you were young, even we fell sick. Everytime we had a fever, did we do thousands of blood tests, and x-rays? Then what is it now? The quality of life has improved right, aree we ate roadside vada pavs, had that pepsicola’s in plastic tubes or ate ice gola’s god alone knows what it was made off, but weren’t we rough and tough then our children. Again I say, we have improved our lifestyle right then why do our children fall sick very often ? Those times doctors were not racketeers! Not all are even today!!
Situation is alarming for children, doctors or paediatricians. I feel many of them just believe in putting the child through various heavy medications in the form of antibiotics they prescribe. They know the child gets well even without antibiotics too and with regular medicines. But then there is a ‘setting’ with various pharmaceutical MR’s (Medical representative) companies which are in a race to introduce new medicines everyday. And not to forget to mention, the labs or pathology and the x-ray/CT scan ‘shops’. Remember, before doing any blood tests or scans, doesn’t the cashier ask you which doctor has refereed this? Commission boss, is my guess!!
Anyway, the core of the child with these antibiotics gets weakened badly. Secondly, the doctors prescribing heavy antibiotics are not curing the child from the core but rather curing the child time-being suppressing the child’s own immunity. We Indians are used to eating various spices. Our gut and health are equipped to heal on its own, but it takes rest, time, affection and attention. But then with easy medicines available in 5 star medical shops and the panicky nature of parents, doctors are taking advantage and sending for various blood tests and x-rays unnecessarily exposing the child to harmful rays and antibiotics. Mind you, the child is not cured permanently– but he is getting cured because antibiotics are going in the system; obviously reports will come normal. Anxiety amongst ‘panicky’ parents to cure the child ASAP is what the doctors are taking advantage of. And not to mention, adding to our worries are the various epidemics going on due to the ‘most mismanaged’ city we live in. Nowadays it is chikungunya or malaria or typhoid. Argh, how can I forget to mention STRESS levels of the child due to heavy competition in schools to perform the best.
I swear by one Dr Aspi Irani, a very old Parsi paediatrician or child specialist from Lokhandwala, Andheri. Then there is Dr Ketki Marthak who is an ENT in Andheri west who has been treating me even today ever since me or my missus were children. These doctors are no racketeers, no unnecessary tests are prescribed nor are antibiotics, if the case is normal. In fact when anyone visits Dr Irani, he is known to not give any medicine. He says if the fever is persisting for more than 2 days above 100 then only give a small crocin or any other medicine. Let the child heal on its own. Everyone has a mechanism to heal itself. Yes, of course, they say necessary investigation is necessary if the case is severe.
My dear parents, living in a fast paced city like Mumbai, I know we want quick results in everything these days. But when it comes to your child, nutritious home cooked food, a happy and tension free atmosphere is the most important thing you can give your child. Once in a blue moon eating out is OK. But I see high flying parents having installed Swiggy and Zomato on their child’s phone (above 12 years) with their own credit card in it. The night outs and stay overs have become a menace now. On the night stay over no mother is ready to cook for the child home-cooked food but is dependent on late night delivery restaurants. It is natural because even the mother is tired due to daily chores. But don’t we all have cooks? Instead of spending money on late night eateries, pay the cook that money he will be more than happy to cook for your children and their friends. If it is a fast food chain, I don’t know what a bread loaf does to your child by eating it at 1 am. I don’t know the various ‘rolls’ we order from various restaurants where the paneer comes from and where the curry is made at and at what time it is made? I don’t know how long the dough has been prepared or where it is made even if it comes to eating SOuth Indian.
Our parents (most of us are 40 plus today) who are in their 60’s or 70’s now are very disturbed just seeing our children getting spoiled and they cannot do anything because we are the breadwinners of the family. We can’t take anything from our parents now, leave alone advice on how to raise our children. Any suggestion coming from them, is treated by saying to them, “mom/dad, those times were different today we have to accept this lifestyle”. With this so-called hep lifestyle, we are building weaker children. If I can give you one piece of advice, let you be a millionaire, but just treat and raise your child the way you were raised! Absolute middle class with values, love and fear of parents. Today individuality treatment to a child right from age 5 will be harmful to you, write it somewhere. Stop treating children like adults and learn to say a NO to them. Let’s build our children healthy and try everything in our hand before they fall to any racket!!
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.
