Doctor’s Day: Musings of a Gastro-Surgeon

Happy Doctor’s Day!

Dedicated to all the moms, dads, spouses, kids and siblings of doctors

It is never easy to be a doctor’s family member, isn’t it?. With a whole lot of mercurial ambitions the medical student steps into the medical school, what he faces is a long and tortuous road ahead with its fair share of twists and turns, eventually rewarding in the longer run. The family needs to cope with prolonged years of studying, long and erratic working hours, hectic calls and essentially loss of quality time with their loved ones. The children and spouses of doctors have always been envied for their societal status, high income and exalted lifestyle, however, researchers have found that life in the doctor’s family isn’t always a vacation of sorts, owing to the stress and their fast-paced lives.

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It’s interesting that many people believe doctors are living incarnation of Gods and some doctors too, start believing this myth. They become perfectionists, authoritarians and expect their family members to run with the same precision and orderliness of their clinical practice, expecting to receive the same respect and gratitude that they command at their workplace. Not only that, the doctor’s family also carries a significant risk of infection indirectly through their family member who spends the bulk of waking hours, walking through the length and breadth of hospital wards, ICU and corridors teeming with fomites.

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Furthermore, doctors as a group tend to deny or underplay the seriousness of their own medical problems, ignoring the apprehensions or the concerns of their family members. It’s not for nothing that the doctors are termed the “worst patients”, owing to their extremely poor compliance when it comes to treating themselves.

So, on the occasion of Doctor’s Day, I take this opportunity to thank all the moms who have sacrificed their comforts, the dads who have had tremendous patience, the spouses who have had to cope with stressful lives and the kids who have foregone quality cuddling time and family outings with their doctor parent. It is your love, affection, trust and belief that makes the career of the doctor in your family successful.

We hope to reward all your time and efforts with rich dividends by our passion, dedication and integrity towards this wonderful medical field which you have given us, an opportunity to explore.