Many doctors suffer from hippocracy

JAKARTA (JP): Maybe it is ironic that the oath doctors have to utter as they are sworn in is called the Hippocratic Oath as many of them are nothing more than hypocrites.

While the oath emphasizes the importance and the duty of doctors to help others and treat people regardless of race, socioeconomic status or religion, the reality is that there are many doctors who do discriminate because of race and status.

In East Java, a woman seeking treatment was turned away simply because her address indicated that she was from a small village. In other words, she was poor and most likely uneducated, and the doctor did not feel particularly keen to help her.

When the same woman went to a local hospital in Yogyakarta and asked for further treatment, she happened to be staying at a friend's house that was located in the suburbs, and not in a "nice" neighborhood. She received the same arrogant attitude from the doctor who was doing the rounds.

Why did it have to be this way? Doctors should not differentiate between patients, that is if they want to honor the oath and truly live by it.

It seems that many doctors, particularly in cities, now prioritize the pursuit of wealth rather than the pursuit of health. People with bigger purses are more likely to receive treatment than a poor street urchin.

While many think that money is one's ticket to anywhere and with more of it you get better treatment, health services should not be included in this category.

There was once a woman who was educated and chose to live in a village. When she fell ill and went to a hospital in Central Java, a doctor merely looked her over without taking out a stethoscope, because he assumed she was a mbok from a village.

When she tried to explain her condition, and how a specialist had already diagnosed her illness, the doctor decided to ask her questions about the doctor.

When she said the specialist was an expert in his field, the doctor asked her where he studied. Annoyed, and wanting to see how far the doctor would go, she said simply: "Oh, over the ocean..."

He asked further..."Where?" And she answered: "Um, Germany..." Then, with eyes that revealed his disdain for villagers and their lack of intellect (or so he thought), he asked another question, convinced that she would not be able to answer: "Where in Germany?" She answered quietly, "Hamburg."

As soon as he heard her answer, he looked at her with disbelief, and the question "How could a villager know Hamburg?" was written all over his face. He rose quickly and whipped out a stethoscope and proceeded to examine her.

Why is such a show of one's knowledge necessary to obtain treatment? Should we be lying on the ground, bleeding to death, and still have to detail our curriculum vitae? Do we have to be rich or have a high social status to receive treatment, or at least be treated with the decency and respect we all deserve as human beings?

It does not have to be this way. Whether a person has a doctorate, is a prominent government official, CEO of a major company, or merely a poor street vendor or a domestic helper, people should be treated equally.

Many people who have health insurance and decide to use it are denied admittance to hospitals because they happen not to have instant cash. The medical field should not be a profit- seeking industry. And doctors should remember that their duty is to help others and save lives.

It is sad, that people should be turned away because some doctors differentiate between races and socioeconomic status. Such doctors are therefore hypocrites. They are not truly abiding by the oath. If Hippocrates were alive today, he would be saddened and deeply disappointed by this phenomenon.

-- Irawati Wisnumurti