Dolcy D’Cruz
In India, July 1 is celebrated as National Doctors’ Day to honour the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, a renowned physician and former Chief Minister of West Bengal. Dr Roy was honoured with the country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna on February 4, 1961. India is home to many skilled and dedicated doctors who have made significant contributions to medical science and patient care over the years. Being a doctor is not a routine 9-to-5 profession that demands dedication, long working hours, and the willingness to serve patients at any time of the day or night. In Goa, many doctors have contributed not only to healthcare but also to society. The relationship between doctors and patients in Goa has traditionally been one of trust, respect, and compassion. Many family doctors have cared for three or even four generations of the same family, building lifelong relationships based on confidence and care.
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The medical profession is different from most other professions. Getting admission to an MBBS course is highly competitive and requires intelligence, hard work, and success in the NEET examination. After MBBS, many doctors pursue MD, MS, DNB, or super-speciality degrees. By the time they complete their training and establish their careers, they are often 32 to 35 years old. Dr Vedant Pawar was the president of the Goa Medical College Students Association (GMCSA). Speaking about the challenges of studying to become a doctor, he says, “Most people see only the doctor who stands before them in a white coat.
Few truly understand the long and demanding journey that precedes that moment. It begins with NEET-UG, one of the most competitive entrance examinations in India. Securing a seat is only the first milestone. The years of MBBS that follow are filled with an enormous academic workload, countless examinations, practicals, journals, and clinical postings. Long hours of study often come at the cost of personal time, family gatherings, and social life. After completing the final university examinations, every medical graduate undergoes a one-year compulsory internship. During this period, young doctors work long shifts across various departments, manage patients under supervision, assist senior doctors, and acquire invaluable hands-on clinical experience. It is a year of immense responsibility and continuous learning.” Yet, the journey is far from over.
Those aspiring to specialize must once again compete in another highly challenging entrance examination, NEET-PG. “Success leads to three more years of junior residency, where responsibilities increase significantly, demanding unwavering dedication, resilience, and compassion. Becoming a doctor is not merely about clearing examinations or earning a degree. It is a journey of perseverance, sacrifice, discipline, lifelong learning, and an unwavering commitment to serving humanity. Behind every doctor is a story of years of hard work, sleepless nights, personal sacrifices, and the determination to care for others, often before caring for themselves,” adds Dr Vedant. Doctors may work in medical colleges, government hospitals, corporate hospitals, diagnostic centres, or private practice. Some become teachers, researchers, surgeons, physicians, administrators, or medicolegal experts. Dr RG Wiseman Pinto is a professor and former head of Pathology Department and former dean of Goa University. He explains that medical academics and medical research are very important for doctors because of various reasons. “Medical academics and medical research upgrades the knowledge, expertise and experience of the doctors.
When a doctor researches a topic, he or she becomes well versed and confident and knowledgeable in that topic. It will help the doctor in the examinations, interviews for new posts and promotions,” he says. Medical research involves publishing scientific papers in indexed journals and periodicals. These papers may include clinical studies carried out over 5 to 10 years or even longer. Research also includes rare case reports, case studies, drug trials, clinical trials, surgical studies, obstetrics and gynecology research, imaging studies, and diagnostic studies. He further adds, “Medical research also includes multidisciplinary studies involving different medical specialties. Researchers present posters and oral papers at conferences, Continuing Medical Education (CME) programmes, workshops, and scientific updates. Online learning and teaching are important parts of medical education. Medical research studies new drugs, new biomarkers, and new risk factors for diseases.” Researchers study why many diseases are now occurring at a younger age. “Researchers also work on new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, e-medicine, robotics, genomics, next-generation sequencing (NGS), preventive medicine, personalized medicine, predictive medicine, and integrated diagnostic centres. Medical professionals also organize CMEs, conferences, workshops, and scientific updates.
They write articles and give public talks on health-related topics to improve public awareness, promote disease prevention, and help people better understand health issues,” he informs. Despite their dedication, doctors face many challenges, including increasing violence against healthcare workers and medicolegal cases. Those choosing medicine should be prepared for lifelong learning, hard work, and responsibility. A doctor’s responsibility extends beyond diagnosis and treatment. Dr Brahamand Cunkolienkar, consultant psychiatrist and former Medical Superintendent, Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour, Bambolim, highlights the stress that doctors undergo in their professional life. “Doctors have to go to initially the highest set of NEET examinations, even at the MBBS level and at the PG level. After going through that stress, once they settle down as a junior resident and a consultant, they have to work 24 by 7. They are expected to be very alert, active and they have to give 100 percent. The patients who come to the hospital want immediate treatment.
Because of their stress, sometimes the doctor is not supposed to get angry. The moment he chooses his tone, people get aggressive. We have seen cases where in the hospital, there is a riot where the doctors have been beaten,” says Dr Brahamanand. There is a need of training for the doctors on how to communicate seriousness, whom to talk, whom to inform and how the message of death has to be given. “Doctors have to be very sensitive and extremely careful while communicating. This too takes a lot of toll among the doctors, especially young doctors. We have seen that 75 percent of the doctors undergo stress like especially in the Indian Medical Association. Many of these doctors, we have found that they are susceptible and they even commit suicide,” adds Dr Brahamanand. Doctors’ work involves making quick decisions, often in life-threatening situations where there is little room for error. An Advanced trauma life support (ATLS) trainer and senior surgeon, Dr Deepa Correia Afonso informs, “All medical training is towards saving life and making on-spot decisions. If you have done the ATLS course, then you have trained in the airway breathing circulation, ABCs of acute management care.
The course reinforces and goes through the basic principles of life support. It’s a very interesting three-day course where you get trained in rethinking how to manage acute care. The course begun in America by the American College of Surgeons. Now, it’s available at many places around the world and it’s a standardized course. Anyone who is handling emergencies, any doctor can go through the basics again. It starts with explaining how you manage the airway and if you can’t manage airway then like how life is lost because of inability to breathe right. Its airway breathing, then heart circulation and then the neurological system. Interestingly, the more qualified some doctors are, they don’t do so well in the course because they become so specialized in their field they tend to forget the basics all over again. It would be my advice that all doctors, all irrespective of their level of degree, should do the course as it is in Goa too.” Medicine is rightly regarded as a noble profession.
Doctors diagnose diseases, provide treatment, promote prevention, and encourage early screening, while recognising that the final outcome is not always under human control. Doctors are also human beings. They become tired, fall sick, make occasional mistakes, and are constantly exposed to infections, suffering, and death. Yet, they continue to serve with commitment and compassion. On this National Doctors’ Day, take a moment to appreciate the dedication and service of doctors. A simple smile and a heartfelt ‘thank you” can be a meaningful gesture of gratitude for their commitment to improving the health and well being of the community.
