Somebody asked me, “you are a doctor; you might be making a lot”

This a common question and comment made by people who see us working tirelessly, sometimes even for 48 hours without gap and the comment is “Doc you might be making a lot”.

Dr. Pushpa Charurvedi, now in Ajman and formerly Prof. & head of Pediatrics in MGIMS Sevagram and my teacher, narrated that when she was a house physician, to save the life of a child, she practically worked non-stop for 36 hours and, some patients commented, “doc you might have earned a lot in these 36 hours” and the answer she gave was, “yes I have earned a lot – I have earned a lot of blessings from the parents of the child; I have earned a lot of satisfaction from within my consciousness; I earned a lot of goodwill from my fellow colleague who saw my efforts in saving a life”.

Dr. Anita Kant, a senior gynecologist in Faridabad, a close friend of mine and a classmate also recently wrote similar words on the facebook and said that when some asked her how much did she make, she said “I make a lot of difference” to my patients health and sufferings and in return she make a lot of satisfaction, inner happiness and enjoyment.

My father had a business in iron and steel and had the purpose of my life been to make a lot money, I would have joined my father’s business and not gone to MGOMS to study MBBS.

We have lived in an era where joining MBBS and becoming a doctor used to be an honour. Nowhere money was a consideration in our mind. 

The word ‘Dr.’ is prefixed before our name. Prefixing of a name is only allowed to people who indulge in noble professions like Dr., Diwan, Rai Bahadur, Raja etc. 

Even the Prime Minister after retirement cannot write the word Prime Minister as a prefix before his name. Our earning in the society is our respect and this respect makes us different from the society. No other profession is respected as the medical profession.

It is an era of Kalyuga  but that does not mean that every living person is a ‘Kalyugi’. In Satyuga, there were both ‘Satyugis’ and ‘Kalyugis’ but Satyugi were in majority. Similarly in Dwapar yuga there were also Satyugi, Kalyugis and Dwapar Yugis but Dwapar yugis were in majority. 

In satyuga there were both devta and danavs; in treta yuga we had both Rama and Ravana and in Dwapar Yuga we had both Krishna and Kans.

Today may be a Kallyuga but everybody cannot be Kalyugi. Some will be Satyugi also. 

Therefore, in medical profession, there will e still doctors who are Tretayugi, Dwaparyugi or Satyugi and for these doctors, service is still their primary Dharma. Let us respect and salute these doctors even if they are not in majority.

This statement is true not only for medical profession but for other professions in the society today. Remembers doctors are not produced but they come from your and my family which again will have a majority of Kalyugi living within us.