Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Unfair

The article "Medical malpractice" (Open Page, Sept. 11) has made many generalisations. It is unfair to say that doctors accept commissions from suppliers for stents and recommend the products of only those companies that offer hefty kickbacks. Again, the sweeping statement on caesarean sections suggesting that they are done only for money is also unfair.

There are many hospitals that do not encourage this practice and there are many doctors who are absolutely honest and committed to their profession. But the article is certainly a wake-up call to the medical community, which should do some introspection and bring in some self-regulation.

U.K. Ananthapadmanabhan,
Coimbatore

I agree that there should be a redress mechanism. Situations in which doctors request investigations only to rule out the remote possibility of a major illness, and then refer the patient to a specialist who in turn submits the patient to the same rigours are not uncommon. The patients are under tremendous pressure to submit. Only a mechanism to provide relief to the aggrieved persons will be effective.

G. Sathyamurthy,
Chennai

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