Leeches, Vampires and other Bloodsuckers - The Medical Profession

Yesterday, I was busy the whole day as I had been to the crematorium. One of my cousins died at the comparatively young age of 57.
Now you may all be wondering what my visit has to do with the title of my blog today.
I'll explain.
About six days ago, my cousin was admitted to the hospital.
While admitting him into the hospital, the doctor had recommended that he be admitted in the special cabins. Since that is quite expensive the person who accompanied my cousin explained that he would like him to be admitted in the ward.
The doctor then rebuked him, saying, "why are you depriving me of my fees. Everytime I visit the hospital and go on my rounds to the cabins, I can charge him and all my other cabin patients my fees".
Another doctor I know had advised a relative of mine to undergo all the gamut of tests including Tread mill test when he just had some slight pain in his chest for gas.
Inspite of the treadmill test giving a negative result the doctor advised him for a angiograph.
That is when my relative put his foot down and refused to have the angiograph done.
A Mumbai doctor told my relative when he visited hime later on, that the pain was due to gas formation.
This got me thinking whether only leeches and vampires suck the human blood.
Aren't there other so called educated people who suck the blood of their fellow human beings?
The doctors have become, especially in North India, one of the most corrupt and selfish bunch of professionals. Among their sins of omission and commissions are:-
A) Prescribing unwanted tests so that their commissions(about 40%) from the laboratories increase
B) Prescribing unnecessary drugs or more expensive drugs because the drug companies have given them presents and other incentives.
C) Conducting unnecessary operations where nothing is wrong with the organ or where medicines could cure the malady.
D) Conducing tests to determine the sex of an unborn child to abort the unwanted female child. Of course, this has now been made a punishable offense but yet we read of this crime everyday in the papers.
E) Removing or changing the newly born child in nursing homes to sell to childless couples.
F) Instead of curing their patients, the doctor prolongs his agony by giving him wrong drugs or placebo so that he visits the doctor regularly and pays his fees.
The list could go on and on.
Of course, when the health minister of the country, himself got admitted in a medical institute, not by competition but by donation,plays politics in one of the premier medical institutions in the country, what can we expect the government to do?
The government is too busy, saving itself being toppled, to rein in errant politicians and gives them free hands to do what they want.
I am sure many of you must have been at the receiving end of the corrupt practise of the medical profession.
I would request you to put them in the blog.
It is like a breath of fresh air to note that the doctors of South India are compartively more service oriented and God fearing than their northern counterparts.
My hats off to the doctors of Vellore, NIMHANS Bangalore, Sai Baba's hospital near Bangalore and other good doctors and institutions in south India.
I know, some of our old boys may also have become doctors. I am sure our school's moral science classes would not have made them into blood suckers.
Next week, I shall tell you of the other blood sucking professions of our society.
Till then,

Cheers for Goethals

Radheshyam