Expressing serious concerns about the “rapidly declining” service mentality among medical professionals in society, P.S. Shankar, a well-known doctor and writer, said that quality healthcare services were increasingly becoming unaffordable for low and medium income groups.
He was speaking at ‘Manadalada Matu’ (Words From the Heart), a programme at Kannada Bhavan here on Sunday. It is organised by the district unit of the Kannada Sahithya Parishat in the first week of every month with renowned personalities who have made significant contributions in different spheres of life speaking from their own experiences.
“Service-oriented medical professionals and institutions are rarely seen these days. Over-commercialisation of medical education has led to over-commercialisation of the medical profession. Those who spend huge amounts of money on getting medical degrees naturally want to recover it and make huge profits in their profession, leading to the replacement of service mentality with a money-making urge. It is the poor and the economically weaker sections that are at the receiving end. They have to bear the brunt of deterioration of values in the health sector,” he said.
Speaking on “illogical infatuation with English” increasing in India, Mr. Shankar gave a number of examples, including great scientists, who studied in their mother tongue and made significant contributions to their fields.
“Great scientists that Karnataka produced such as C.N.R. Rao, U.R. Rao and Raja Ramanna all studied in Kannada medium. Mother tongue, or the language that child is very familiar with, is the best medium for understanding and grasping [concepts]. For those who learn their mother tongue and achieve command over it, it would be easier to become proficient in other languages. Neglecting our mother-tongue to run behind English is meaningless,” he said.
On mental health
Stressing the importance of mental health, Mr. Shankar said the health of the mind does determine the health of the body.
The senior doctor also expressed discontentment with his service not being better utilised by society. “As the old saying goes, a prophet is without honour at his own town. The services of people like me could have better been utilised.”
Recalling his childhood days in a village near Ranebennur and his student days in Chitradurga, he said he had aspired to write the Union Public Service Commission examinations and become a civil servant. “Had I done IAS, I would have retired as a Chief Secretary. But I came to the medical field. Dutifulness and honesty are the gifts that I received from my parents, whose commitment and integrity towards the work influenced me a lot,” he said.