[Reader-list] More on the spin doctors

[Shivam]

An email I got from someone called Partha Sarathi:



13 reasons why the medico inspired equality is failing

License to Kill: Doctors have blatantly violated their fundamental
principles of medical service: the Hippocratic code. They have
repeatedly called for strikes putting innocent patients in danger. The
strike has led to seven confirmed deaths in the first phase itself.
Media support has ensured that no more deaths are reported although on
25th they had a total pan-India strike – anyone can imagine how many
seeking treatment would have died.

Gimmicks: Cheap antics like asking people to come to AIIMS because a
medico had died due to the hunger strike and that the media was not
reporting it are a sure sign of desperation. Apart from being a flat
lie.

Obfuscation: To offset criticism of their dereliction of duty, they
have been clever to concurrently start a hunger strike – by rotation,
ensuring none of their mates ever faces the dangers they are making
patients face. The moment one doctor on hunger strike faints, they
rush them to the ICU. While the ICU is unavailable for the people who
genuinely need ICU attention.

Hunger Strike: A hunger strike, with coolers, continuous supply of
water, an unending line of friends, comrades to cheer you up, where
you can read 'You Can Win' by Shiv Khera and where you can enjoy
unadulterated media attention is difficult to buy. Ask Medha Patkar.

Police brutality: It is one thing to be silently in meditative pose
and be attacked and quite another for 500 people to insist on seeing
Arjun Singh all together in a Section 144 limited area. Similarly, if
we accept the Maharashtra police attack as brutal, be honest and tell
us you didn't want just that.

Additional seats, no additional logic: Even though the number of seats
have been increased to dent the campaign, there is insistence on
continuing the strike for no logical reason now. Even the PM had to
say: there is no issue now.

Caste campaign: To justify the continuation, what started off as a
clamour for safeguarding precious seats has now become a childish
filmy campaign for social justice – for the upper castes! Now
apparently the Brahamin Samaj is also holding rallies!

Want your cake and eat it too: Doctors will not give up their jobs;
won't do their job and won't let anyone else do it. This can never
succeed.

Delhi delight: In spite of total support in the metros, Doctors do not
choose to go into the heartland and convince the backwards to join
them. They are hanging around in Delhi trying to convince the
convinced. What's stopping them from campaigning where it matters? The
inconvenience of running this campaign in Gonda, obviously. And no
media to watch!

Political backers: The IMA (Indian Medical Association) is known to
have a politburo of graying Doctors who harbour ambitions for public
life. What could be better than a little muscle flexing to show
political party leaders that you have weight.

Cannon fodder: The Docs don't need a job; they are safe. It's the poor
medical students that the IMA is using as cannon fodder to keep this
movement going. Hey! did you see anybody from the IMA and the DMA in
the firing line of the police lathis? Or the hunger strike? No chance.

Doctors or Event managers: The effort of trying to keep this movement
going is telling on the kids to the extent they have become consummate
Event managers thinking of one dramatic sequence after another. Navjot
Sidhu, Shiv Khera even a Ram Lila with Ravan et all. This does not go
down well with the public after a time.

Shifting stands: What started out as a clamour to save the 36 seats in
say AIIMS, changed to anti-caste campaigning to save India and has
today changed once again: the latest email from the group for the 27th
rally says in bold capitals in the third line, " We don't say no to
reservations, but…". Well then, what's fight about?