Many doctors have colleagues they wouldn't want to treat their own family | Ranjana Srivastava

Those in the know can at least sidestep the problem of the unprofessional or unsafe doctor, but our patients can’t

“It’s been difficult,” a colleague grimaced while handing over the reins of attending physician and shortly I saw why.

Halfway through the ward round, I realised that the intern didn’t know the patients but worse, didn’t seem to care. The intern rebuffed patients, was disdainful towards the nurses and rude to other doctors. Requested to assess a fallen patient, they outright fabricated an account to say he was fine. In fact, as we discovered later on the round, the man had suffered a stroke and the nurse said the intern had never come, hinting it wasn’t the first time. I was dumbstruck by this breach of the most sacred tenet of medicine – integrity towards patients. I was angered by the deception but most of all, pained to think of the harm done to an unsuspecting patient.

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