FM DECEMBER 2018 ISSUE - digital edition

CONFIDENCE AND CONTENTMENT
ARE ULTIMATE SAVIOURS
DR K M CHERIAN
Chairman and CEO, Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai
Be always prepared for discouragements and
disappointments that can pull you down in this
profession. One should be aware that there are
traps all around you, especially at a time when the
organisational, social and political systems often turn
hostile to committed services and endeavours.
In an era when corporatisation is tightening its
grip on the patient-care business, doctors should
train themselves not to fall into the trap of the
management, though sustainability of the organisation
is as important as medical ethics and morality. But it
is important to ensure that the commitment towards
patient care and safety should never get compromised
in the process.
Besides patient care, biomedical research is a great
opportunity awaiting young and enthusiastic doctors
who are passionate about serving the world with their
academic quest. But, remember, this is another area
where one will come across greater challenges too.
Research projects are obviously expensive and
risky. Such projects are often not possible without
government or institutional support. At the same time,
there is the possibility that these supporting factors
would create bigger hurdles than natural challenges.
In both these areas, care as well as research, one
may often come across stumbling blocks despite his
or her best efforts. This is typical to countries like India,
where there is a lack of an organizational structure
and a robust professional culture in the government.
One of the main reasons for such disappointing
experiences is ulterior motives by which selfish
interests are protected. In such setups, larger interests
of the public or the best benefits for the needy are
circumvented.
Therefore, it is always advisable to have the
courage and the commitment to stick to your
objectives and keep pursuing the same with
confidence. That is the ultimate saviour for you in this
profession, in which self-contentment is an impactful
feeling.
— As told to CH Unnikrishnan
98 / FUTURE MEDICINE / DECEMBER 2018