Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Minister K Muraleedharan on Friday said that after criticising the health department for 10 years, he now understood the pain of facing criticism, having taken charge of it.
The health department in Keralam often faces scrutiny over alleged medical negligence and a lack of facilities and medicines.
Muraleedharan was speaking at a graduation ceremony at the medical college here.
Addressing the graduating doctors, the state Health minister urged them to uphold professional standards, ensure transparency and take responsibility for their actions instead of trying to conceal instances of medical negligence.
"Often, no matter how honestly you work, you may still face criticism and complaints, especially at a time when stories of medical negligence have a strong market value," he said.
Doctors were not messengers of God, but they had an obligation to save patients' lives, he said, urging them to perform their duties with confidence.
"Our mythology says God grants the fruits of our actions. Your goal should be to perform your duty. The outcome may be positive or negative, but you should have the confidence that you provided the best possible treatment," he said.
Muraleedharan urged the graduates to consider joining government hospitals, even if the salaries were relatively low, reminding them that they had received their education at a government institution.
"If you get a job, even if you know the salary is a little low, choose government hospitals. That is what I appeal to you," he said.
Government hospitals faced several hardships and challenges but remained a refuge for poor patients, he said, adding that maintaining them was a responsibility doctors should take seriously.
"Why does every issue in a hospital become a controversy? It is not your fault. Government hospitals are institutions that a large number of poor people depend on," he said.
Describing the health department as one that routinely faced criticism, Muraleedharan said he had been among those criticising it for a decade.
"When you become doctors and take up a post, there will be 10 people throwing stones at you. It is easy for those who throw stones. I was also someone who threw stones comfortably for 10 years. But we understand the difficulty only when the backlash hits us," he said.
He called on the graduates to strengthen public healthcare and ensure that government hospitals provided services on a par with those offered by private institutions.
Muraleedharan said the government should learn from advances in the private sector, including robotic surgery, and work towards introducing similar facilities in public hospitals.
"It is not about opposing the private sector. We should accept what the private sector is doing today and bring government hospitals up to the same standard tomorrow. That should be our goal," he said.
Referring to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's emphasis on the public sector, he said government institutions should be developed to meet the needs of changing times while continuing to serve ordinary people.
Muraleedharan wished the graduates success in their professional lives and expressed hope that they would become dedicated and skilled doctors.
